


After Winter Break

by TheCatholicFanGirl



Series: 712 More Things To Write About [5]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 712 More Things To Write About, AU Teacher, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Bucky P.E. and History, Bucky's bold, Dorks, Dorks falling in love., F/M, Gen, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Nat P.E., Panic Attacks, Steve Art and English, Swearing, Talking, a lot of swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-03-15 14:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3450320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCatholicFanGirl/pseuds/TheCatholicFanGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The passenger side door opened and Bucky's eyes met with strong shoulders, and baby blue eyes. “Hi, is this seat taken?” he asked with a nervous smile.</p><p>	“Sure! I’m ah… James Barnes. Call me Bucky.”</p><p>	“Call him James.” Nat said from the back seat texting.</p><p>	“No, ignore her, call me Bucky.”</p><p>	“I’m Steve. Steve Rogers.”</p><p>	“Well, welcome to the neighborhood Mr. Rogers.” Bucky grinned.</p><p>	“Yah… like I haven’t heard that one before.” Steve rolled his eyes and climbed in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After Winter Break

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: You’re a member of a casual carpool and it’s your day to drive. A total stranger gets into your car.

Natasha called and Bucky tapped the phone to answer it on speaker. “Hello?”

            “Running late.”

            “I prefer to say that I’m fashionably on time.”

            “An hour and thirty minutes is not fashionably on time, James. You have me and the new teacher are literally sitting in the cold at the stop.”

            “New teacher huh?” Bucky grinned. “Is she hot?”

            “I’m not discussing this.”

            “SHE IS HOT!”

            “How far are you?”

            “Ahh, two block away? I don’t know… where did you say the stop was?”

            “You’re hopeless.”

            “I know I am but what are you?”

            Natasha hung up on him and Bucky laughed. After dealing with horrible parking, groups of the teachers had finally decided to carpool together. Tony and Sam would drive Bucky every Tuesday through Thursday, and Nat would drive with him every Monday and Friday. Sometimes, Wednesday depending on how the morning meeting went. (Currently with this new principal, the Wednesday morning meetings sucked harder than hooker. So it was starting to become a regular thing.)

            This Monday, was the first Monday of the new semester at the Middle School. Bucky was totally not excited about seeing the little monsters. However, he was excited about teaching the little monsters his new chapter in American History. Just before the break, they had just finished covering World War I and were now moving on to World War II. World War II had to be the coolest thing to Bucky. Except for, you know… all the dying and the death and the horrible stuff that came along with the dying and the death. The movie Fury was on his list to show the kids, after all the cussing and the content, it was a pretty stand up movie. Now if Academic Dean Fury would allow it would be the coolest thing since he had allowed The Patriot.

            Bucky pulled up to the stop to see Nat, wearing a pencil skirt and a sleeveless blouse. “No wonder you’re cold!” he hollered out to her as she opened the back door. “Jeeze…”

            “Russian runs in my veins, just as much as you.” She snapped back and rubbed her hands together.

            The passenger side door opened and Bucky's eyes met with strong shoulders, and baby blue eyes. “Hi, is this seat taken?” he asked with a nervous smile.

            “Sure! I’m ah… James Barnes. Call me Bucky.”

            “Call him James.” Nat said from the back seat texting.

            “No, ignore her, call me Bucky.”

            “I’m Steve. Steve Rogers.”

            “Well, welcome to the neighborhood Mr. Rogers.” Bucky grinned.

            “Yah… like I haven’t heard that one before.” Steve rolled his eyes and climbed in.

            “So, Nat didn’t tell me you were a dude.” Bucky smiled.

            “She didn’t tell me you were a dude either. I just assumed that you were a man because she told me your name was James. If you weren’t a man, I would’ve been cool with it.”

            Bucky smiled. “So what do you teach?”

            “English eighth grade and Art Class Two.” Steve nodded.

            “Oh, so you’re replacing ah… what’s her name…”

            “Mrs. Denny.” Nat said from the back without looking up from her phone.

            “Mrs. D…”

            “She had a nervous breakdown when she caught two of the boys making out in her art closet.” Nat chuckled and shook her head.

            Bucky smiled at the memory. “They came out of the closet that day.”

            “Poor kids, I’m sure they're traumatized.” Steve swallowed.

            “Yeah, they were, but they have such nice examples of queer teachers to look up to. The one homophobic teacher, Mrs. D, didn’t bother them.” Bucky shrugged.

            “Oh, there’s gay people on campus?”

            “You have a problem with that?” Bucky asked his eyebrows raised.

            “No! No, it’s just… it’s nice to be around friends.” Steve nodded and looked out the window, embarrassed.

            “Oh!” Bucky chortled. “So… gay, bi, pan… queer gender? Asexual?”

            “Did I hear something about Team Ace?” Nat piped up from the back.

            Steve blushed. “I’m bisexual.”

            “Same.” Bucky nodded and jammed a finger to the back. “Nat’s Ace.”

            “Wow, I’ve never met an Ace.”

            Nat gave him a half smile.

            “So… but I got to ask… you’re an English teacher and an Art teacher right?”

            “Yeah, I double majored in college.”

            “How do you… doesn’t like English work the right side of your brain and Art the left? Something like that? I’m not saying it’s impossible, but why did you choose that?” Bucky asked.

            “Oh, my mom had a thing for literature. She read me all the classics when I was a kid, and then I just love reading.”

            “I can see by your specks. They make you look smart.” Bucky nodded and mimed Steve’s black plastic glasses.

            Steve smiled. “Thanks, ah… then my dad was an amateur artist, but he was a horrible father, so I guess I inherited that trait from him. Whereas I gained my trait of literature from my mom.”

            “Wow, that’s… amazing.” Bucky nodded.

            “So… I feel bad about not knowing about you.”

            “Oh, I’m the eighth grade American History teacher. I’m related to two of the presidents of the great ole’ US of A. Buchanan and Barnes. So when I figured that out, I kind of became obsessed with history. And there’s not much you can do with a history degree other than teach. I minored in P.E. though. I was in the Military, so Gym teacher with Nat here and history teacher.”

            “Wow, so you served?”

            Bucky nodded. “Yah, I did a tour in Iraq, got shot, then came back, then the US and its infinite wisdom decided to send me to Russia. Which is where I met Ms. Angry Red-head in my back seat.”

            Nat flicked him off.

            He smiled.

            “Shot at?”

            “Yah, arriving at a town we got bombarded by a team of not so great people. Shot me, and threw a bomb my way. I was able to get away just in time, but my whole left arm is numb.” He lifted his arm and wiggled his fingers. “I still have the motor skills, just can’t feel anything.”

            “A fun game is to wait for him to take a nap, and put ice cubes on his arm. The highest anyone has gotten to is twelve.”

            “I’m still mad at Tony for that.” Bucky shook his head.

            “Tell him how you scare the kids every semester.”

            “Oh, I grab a lighter and hold the flame under my palm and wait for them to notice.”

            Steve’s jaw dropped to the ground.

            “It’s hilarious.” Bucky assured him.

            “Doesn’t that… well it doesn’t hurt for sure, but doesn’t that like… damage your hand?” Steve asked his eyebrows knitted with concern.

            Bucky shrugged and parked at the campus. “C’mon I’ll show you to your room, if you’re the one taking over for Mrs. D, we should be right next to each other.” He beamed.

            “Oh, cool!” Steve grinned and slid out of the car. He closed the door and admired the view of the old middle school. It was built during World War II as an elementary and middle school. This meant Bucky couldn’t wait to talk Steve’s ear off about the school and all the cool stuff that went with it.

            “You’ve been flirting.” Nat muttered to him.

            “Mm, you didn’t tell me he was cute.”

            “I told you nothing.”

            “Ten bucks says I can secure a dinner date by the end of the day.” Bucky looked over his shoulder to her.

            “Twenty.”

            “Twenty five.

            Nat looked out at Steve who glanced at them nervously.

            “Fifty, final offer.” She blinked up at him. Bucky remembered of how cold it was just by her glare.

            “Deal.” Bucky smiled and stepped out of the car. “Steve, hey if you don’t find me being too bold, would you like to go to dinner tonight?”

            Steve turned wide eyes on him. “Like a date?”

            Bucky pulled an innocent look and shrugged. “If you want it to be, babe.”

            Nat mouthed “Oh my God.”

            Steve bit his lip and his cheeks windblown from the cold weather turned even redder. “Sure.”

            In Bucky’s book, this was the best first day back ever.


	2. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve shook his head. “I haven’t had one in about seven years.”
> 
> “What?” Bucky chortled and dropped his spoon. “You haven’t had a second date in seven years?”
> 
> Steve blushed and looked away. “Yeah…”
> 
> “Wow… I don’t believe that.”
> 
> Steve frowned and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
> 
> “Some guy like you hasn’t had a second date in seven years?” Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “Why?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The tumor is/was benign.

Bucky had been nothing but a gentleman the whole night. First to the movies, they saw the latest horror movie. Then they went to Buffalo Wild Wings, where they just had cheesy fries before leaving for Ice Cream right across the street. Steve had gotten soft serve apple pie flavored ice cream, and Bucky got something called Rocky Mountain Ice Cream.

            Bucky was giving Steve's lips a hungry look.

            Steve felt the butterflies burst into flame and flutter around. He was going to pee himself and barf at the same time. “You okay?” Bucky asked worried.

            Steve nodded and didn’t meet Bucky’s eyes.

            “So, how’d you know Nat?”

            “She was a friend of a friend.”

            “Ohhh, so this friend’s name is?”

            “Her name was Peggy Carter.”

            Bucky blinked at Steve his eyes filled with sorrow.

            “Yah… Peggy Carter. She was the woman who made me want to be a teacher.”

            Bucky gave him a half smile. “I’m so sorry.”

            Steve shrugged and stirred his ice cream with his spoon. “I wasn’t family, there’s nothing that you should be sorry for.”

            Bucky shook his head. “Nah, we all felt Peggy’s loss. I met her a year before she… y’know… and she… she was an inspiration.”

            Steve smiled. “She was.”

            “I don’t remember seeing you at the funeral.”

            “Oh, that’s because I sat in the way back, and I didn’t look like this five years ago.” Steve smirked gesturing down to his body.

            “What’d you look like?”

            “Skinny, sickly…” Steve swallowed. “I had just lost my mom to lung cancer. Stupid me, I thought it’d be a good idea to not eat to save money. Ma and I didn’t have much. So what little we had went to my college fund to become a teacher.”

            Bucky nodded sympathetically. “Lung cancer?”

            Steve lifted his eyebrows. “Yeah, the doctors thought the tumor in her lungs was benign, but… it wasn’t.” he cleared his throat and looked out the dark window. “Sorry… glad to see I’m crying on our first date, kind of a tradition.”

            Bucky frowned and reached over to his hand. “Were all of your first dates that bad?”

            Steve cleared his throat and sniffed. “Ah… back when mom was sick… I guess the guys and girls I dated thought that I was an easy target.” Steve scratched his head and stared at Bucky’s hand. “Girls were generally nicer to me, but the guys…” he swallowed and shook his head.

            Bucky felt his heart break. “That was wrong of them.”

            Steve shrugged and felt soothed as Bucky ran a thumb over his knuckles. “I was used to it.”

            “Is it okay if I ask more questions?” Bucky asked withdrawing his hand.

            Steve nodded. “Yeah, I’m an open book.”

            “What did… they do?”

            Steve felt his stomach gurgle with nerves. “The girls, like I said, were typically nicer to me when I told them I didn’t kiss on the first date. There were only a few girls that got mad and demand sex. The guys… got rough with me.”

            “Wow, what about the second daters? Were they any nicer?”

            Steve shook his head. “I haven’t had one in about seven years.”

            “What?” Bucky chortled and dropped his spoon. “You haven’t had a second date in seven years?”

            Steve blushed and looked away. “Yeah…”

            “Wow… I don’t believe that.”

            Steve frowned and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

            “Some guy like you hasn’t had a second date in seven years?” Bucky furrowed his eyebrows.  “Why?”

            Steve shrugged. “Well… obvious reasons.”

            “Which are…”

            “I’m weird, and a teacher. Who wants to be with a teacher?”

            “Uh… every-fucking-one? Do you not watch or read porn?” Bucky laughed.

            “I meant long term. Who wants to be with a teacher?” Steve rolled his eyes.

            Bucky shrugged.

            “Long nights, early mornings, stressful days, and horrifically low pay.” Steve pointed out.

            “I think it just takes someone special.” Bucky swallowed and stirred his ice cream. “Someone who will be okay with all off that.”

            “Or someone who understands.” Steve said into his ice cream.

            Bucky watched him with affection in his eyes. “How was your first day?”

            Steve sighed. “You pretty much heard it all. Dull, the kids are exhausted from the break, and I had to let this group of boys off with a warning for starting a paint-war.”

            Bucky winced. “Ah, yah… don’t expect anything to happen about that.”

            Steve’s face portrayed confusion. “Meaning…”

            “Our administration, since Fury was demoted to Dean of History and Language, sucks. They won’t do _anything_ to stop the kids, and they won’t do anything to punish the kids either. It’s kind of a mess at Shield Middle School.”

            “Wh… why don’t we contact the main office?”

            “We have.”

            Steve frowned.

            “Hey, c’mon… thing’s will get better.”

            Steve looked unsure but he nodded. “So why was Fury demoted?”

            Bucky chuckled. “Most of the parents weren’t comfortable with a man of his ethnicity being a principal.” He finished with disgust.

            “What the fuck?” Steve hissed.

            Bucky smiled and agreed with Steve. “So… that was their first complaint. The second was the rumor going around about how Fury had lost his eye.” Bucky pointed to his own eye. “They heard that he was in a bar fight with some gang members and they had stabbed him in the eye.”

            “How did he lose his eye?”

            “Car accident.” Bucky pushed away his ice cream. “The air bag deployed and covered half of his face, so when the shards of glass flew everywhere, the uncovered side of his face got torn up.”

            “He doesn’t look that bad.” Steve remarked.

            “It’s mostly makeup so he doesn’t scare the kids.” Bucky nodded.

            “So, they made him take a lower paying job because he’s black and blind in one eye?”

            “Basically.”

            “What the hell?”

            Bucky shrugged. “And since then, things have gotten to be really bad. The kids who are supposed to be in AMS aren’t going, so they think they can get away with it. The kids who want to learn aren’t learning anything because the kids who are supposed to be punished are disrupting class. Then the Wednesday morning meetings are the worst with Principal Pierce.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah, he’s always off topic. He pits teachers against each other. Like Nat and I, until he realized that we’re besties. Tony Stark, the computer teacher, his budget has been cut three times last semester so he couldn’t get new computers. The computers right now from the two thousands. Pepper, his wife, is getting worried sick over him doing ‘modifications’ to the computers. Ah… sorry… this isn’t first date conversation.” Bucky blushed.

            Steve shook his head. “No it’s fine. I’ll be on the lookout for that.”

            Bucky smiled. “So… home town?”

            “New York, can’t you tell?”

            “How you snip everything off? Yah, can’t you tell with me?”

            “You’re from NY?”

            “Mhmm, born and raised in Amityville orphanage.”

            Steve looked surprised. “Oh.”

            “And I just dropped that bomb.” Bucky coughed.

            “You don’t have to tell me anymore unless you want to.” Steve promised.

            “Right… ah… my mom, from what the nuns told me, was barely sixteen when she had me and my sister, Rebecca. Died during childbirth, which they thought was weird because she was stubborn. Then the nuns were like the actual Christian-slash-Catholic nuns who raised Becky and me right. Love thy neighbor and that crap. Not have sex before marriage will make you go to hell. Nah, they were loving, but stern.”

            “You didn’t get adopted?”

            Bucky pursed his lips and shook his head. “Nah, ma’s last wish was that Becky and I never get separated. Not many people are up for taking twins.”

            It was Steve’s turn to put a hand on Bucky’s.

            He smiled. “It was okay.” Bucky assured Steve and moved so he held his hand on the table.  “As the nuns say it I got a call from God when I was eighteen to go to the military. I called it a need for money, jokingly of course.” Bucky laughed.

            Steve laughed with him. “Did the nuns ever find out about your bisexuality?”

            “Oh yeah, Sister Diana was the first one to know anything. She’s this sweetheart elder woman, kind, funny… there was this one time where she was at this garage sale. She was bargaining a price on an old chest of drawers. She wanted twenty dollars for it, the asshole wanted five. We had to pull her off of the man!” he laughed and tapped the table in means of hitting it. “She had put him in a chokehold. Once we got her settled, she picked up his wallet, took four fives out, crossed herself and said ‘Amen’ and went about her day. I don’t think Mother Superior’s vein in her head was ever purple-er.”

            Steve laughed at the story.

            “When she found out, there was a quiet hush over the room. She broke the silence saying: ‘well shit, I would be lying to you if I thought Britney Spears’ ass was _en pointe_.’”

            Steve laughed harder. “A nun?”

            “She’s a little crazy.” Bucky shrugged.

            “I want to meet her.”

            Bucky beamed. “I’ll make sure you do. Gah, she is always getting into trouble. Her answer to the trouble was singing Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way.’ She was the closest thing to a mother to me.”

            “Where’s your sister?”

            “She is working for the orphanage right now, not a nun, she didn’t get the ‘calling’ they were talking about. So she has a baby herself. His name is Rylee James Walker.”

            “James after you?”

            Bucky’s face lit up. “James like me. She and her husband have been married for six years now?”

            Steve’s watch beeped. “Shit…”

            “Bed time?”

            Steve gave him an apologetic look. “Yeah. School night.”

            “C’mon I’ll take you home.” Bucky stood.

            Bucky had to park in the guest parking lot so he could walk Steve to his apartment. Steve the whole time kept saying. “You don’t have to.” Over and over. But Bucky just smiled and winked at him.

            They stopped at Steve’s door. “Just so you know…” Steve swallowed and shuffled his feet. “I’m willing to break the rules for you…” he looked through his eyelashes at him.

            Bucky caught his drift. He stepped closer and watched Steve close his eyes. His heart thudded in his chest and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek.

            Steve leaned forward into the kiss.

            “I’m not worth breaking the rules for.” He whispered into Steve’s ear. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

            Steve blushed from his forehead to his chest, and damn Bucky wanted to see that again. “Yeah.” Steve nodded.

            Bucky walked about three doors down when he turned around and called back. “Ah, what are you doing on Friday?”

            “Friday? This Friday?” Steve asked.

            Bucky nodded.

            “Uh… nothing.”

            “Do you want to go for drinks on Friday with me and Nat? A couple of other teachers are going to join us.”

            “Sure.” Steve nodded.

            “Great… that sounds like a second date to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't follow the prompt exactly... ehhh. I tried. I'm on Tumblr! Same name and stuff.


	3. History Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “December seventh 1941!”
> 
> “Alright, you got it half right…. C’mon kids!”
> 
> The kids started to tear through their text book. 
> 
> “Do you want a hint?”
> 
> “Yes!” they shouted.
> 
> “Alright… Alright… this is American history right? Think! Think! Were we the only ones involved in the war against Germany?” He asked and sauntered to the chalkboard and picked up a round of small chalk.
> 
> “Yes!”
> 
> He wheeled back around to them. “ _Really?_ In _World_ War II we were the only ones fighting against Germany?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: He’s ashamed he hasn’t spoken up about _______ so he ______.

Bucky and Steve had been dating for the better part of two months. Steve walked in to Bucky’s class during his conference hour to double check that they were still on for a date that night. He opened the door and stepped quietly in. If Bucky noticed him, he didn’t make a gesture his way.

            Bucky had set up the PowerPoint and was lecturing the class. And Steve knew that the class was not listening. Suddenly, Bucky pounded on his desk goofily and laughed. “Okay! Enough lecture! First one to tell me the date World War II started gets a candy that hopefully they’re not allergic to. Tell me if you are, and I can switch it.” He pulled out a shoe box of candy.

            Three kids raised their hands quickly. “Andy!”

            “December seventh 1931”

            “No, close! Very close… Janie!”

            “December seventh 1941!”

            “Alright, you got it half right… C’mon kids!”

            The kids started to tear through their text book.

            “Do you want a hint?”

            “Yes!” they shouted.

            “Alright… Alright… this is _American_ history right? Think! Think! Were we the only ones involved in the war against Germany?” He asked and sauntered to the chalkboard and picked up a round of small chalk.

            “Yes!”

            He wheeled back around to them. “ _Really?_ In _World_ War II we were the only ones fighting against Germany?”

            The sound of paper flipping made Steve smile.

            “Ah! Mr. Rogers!” Bucky grinned at him. “What can I do ya for?”

            Steve blushed at his choice of words, but decided not to correct him. He had learned that at this point in his relationship with Bucky, Bucky meant to say what he said. “I was just asking… wondering… are we still on for tonight?”   

            “I’m still on if you’re still on.” He smiled and turned to the kids who had quieted down. “You still haven’t found it?”

            “We got distracted!” One of the girls, Mary, whined. Mary was in Steve’s second period art class.

            “By what?” Bucky laughed.

            “You and your boyfriend.” Mary glanced at Steve.

            “Mr. Rogers is not… wait… are you my boyfriend?” Bucky smiled at Steve.

             “I don’t think this an appropriate time to discuss this, Mr. Barnes.”

            “If he’s not your boyfriend… how come he draws you a whole lot during free art time?” Mary crossed her arms.

            Bucky’s jaw dropped and turned to Steve. “You draw me?” he laughed.

            “Mary! We discussed this! His face just so happens to hit the golden ratio! I’m practicing.” Steve hissed his face redder than strawberries.

            Bucky laughed and clapped his hands. “Okay, enough with embarrassing Mr. Rogers for today kids. Now tell me when did World War II start?”

            When Steve got back to his classroom, he noticed someone had sent him a text message. Reading it he nearly spat out he coffee. “ _I can do some nude modeling too, if you’d like._ ” From Bucky.

            Things were amazing with Bucky. He hadn’t pressured them to have sex. Instead, they’d done sleepovers where nothing happened, and Steve started to fall in love with Bucky.

            Until Shield High School’s JROTC program had visited for the day. Steve was ashamed he hadn’t spoken up about the fact that his ex-boyfriend was the head of Shield’s JROTC program. Captain Rumlow was handsome, and sharp looking. He was a bit of a daredevil, so he always had a dark scruff on his cheeks. He would only shave it off if someone important was coming to school.

            Steve and Brock had dated when Steve was student teaching there. Brock wasn’t about second dates, or really first dates. What they did wasn’t even considered dating in Steve’s book. Not since he had started dating Bucky. Brock would do things to Steve that made him look back on and wince.

            Brock was into BDSM. Admittedly, this was more than fine with Steve, he was a little curious about the whole idea of it himself. But Brock wasn’t following the rules to BDSM. He would ignore safe-words, and do things that Steve didn’t want to do. There was this one instance that made Steve clam up just thinking about it. Brock had put something in his drink, and took him to his home. Steve hallucinated that his head was sticking out of one of those French guillotines and the blade was slowly sinking down. Steve’s limbs were heavy and tied down, so even if he tried to get up, he couldn’t. He saw frightening faces of monsters and demons. Finally, when he came to. Brock was right next to him, having sex with another guy.

            Steve had nearly killed himself over it, until he finally got his degree and got hired at Shield Middle School. He was supposed to start working the next autumn, but because of the art teacher having that panic attack, he came in earlier. Which Steve was fine with, it gave him the opportunity to do something other than re-write lesson plans.

            Then Bucky happened, and… well, everything was amazing.

            Until at the end of the day, Brock walked in. “Steve!” he beamed.

            Steve dropped all his art work out of the shock.

            “You okay there?”

            Steve stood open mouthed at him. “Yah, yah… what are you doing here Captain Rumlow?”

            Brock scoffed. “Please, my dick has been in your ass, we’re now on first name bases.”

            Steve blushed and tugged at his collar. “Right, ah… what are you doing here?”

            “I just wanted to say hi.” He laughed. “No need to get nervous! How’ve you been?” he asked and then sat on Steve’s desk legs open wide.

            Steve shrugged and stooped low to pick up his art work. “I’m okay.”

            “Still drawing this stupid crap?” Brock scoffed and toed a stray sketch Steve did of a football.

            Steve nodded.

            “At least you’re teaching English too, these kids need to learn how to fucking talk.” He groaned and stretched out his back. “Most of the time though my kids are all like ‘duhhhh.’ It get annoying after a while.”

            Steve nodded.

            “I was wondering, would you like a little session tonight? Y’know for old time’s sake?”

            Steve stood and didn’t meet Rumlow’s eyes. “Ah, nah… I got some grading I need to catch up on.”

            “Fail them all. Like any of them give a shit.” He laughed and stood and looked hungrily at Steve. “C’mon, baby-boy… don’t you like it when …” he pressed Steve up against the chalk-board. Steve hugged his portfolio to his chest. “Captain beats you, hmm, spankings because you’ve been a bad boy.”

            Steve shifted uncomfortably. “I-I-I-I didn’t, so please step back.”

            Brock didn’t hear him, he grabbed Steve’s hips and pulled them to his. “Mmm, feel so good baby-boy.”

            Steve closed his eyes and turned away. “Red! Red light.” He whimpered.

            Brock cupped his right hand and smacked Steve’s thigh. “We haven’t even started.”

            “I… stop.” Steve whined.

            “Yeah, I like it when you beg. Mmm, I’m getting so hard now.”

            “Stop.” Steve insisted.

            “Steve?” Bucky called.

            Rumlow glanced to Steve’s door. “Seems like we forgot to lock the door.”

            “What the fuck is going on here?”

            Rumlow gave Steve another smack to the thigh. “Stevie and I are just getting a little more acquainted. Is there something I can help you out with?”

            “You can back the hell off of my boyfriend.” Bucky scoffed and hit the call button.

            “Yo, Mr. Rogers!”

            “Darcy, it’s Bucky, can you tell Nat to meet me in the eighth grade wing? Immediately.”

            “Is this a code red?”

            “It’s a code fucking red!”

            “You have a boyfriend?” Rumlow scoffed at Steve. “Since when?”

            “Since a month ago. Now who the fuck are you?” Bucky crossed his arms.

            “I’m Steve’s dom.”

            Bucky’s eyebrows knitted and his head tilted to the side. “Nat better get here faster because what you just said makes no since.”

            Rumlow shrugged. “Truthfully, he and I have been on an extended break.”

            “Dom as in Sub and Dom? Like BDSM?”

            Rumlow nodded.

            “What the hell Steve, is this why we don’t have sex? You’re getting your rocks off with someone else?”

            “No!” Steve yelped so flustered he dropped a watercolor piece he did with an old newspaper. “He and I haven’t… in like… since before I met you…”

            Nat came running up, not even winded from the block and a half she had just probably ran. “What’s up?”

            “Just caught Mr. Beefcakes here rubbing himself all over Steve and now he’s telling me that he and Steve are… partners.”

            “Partners in what? And why do you need me here?”

            “So I don’t kill someone, and partners in the BDSM world.”

            Natasha blinked at Steve then at Rumlow. “Don’t I know you?”

            “You’ve been having sex with him too?” Bucky yelped.

            “Calm down.” Nat snapped at him and pointed to Rumlow. “Two weeks ago… rape charges of a minor. How the hell do you still have your job?”

            Rumlow looked agitated. “Well…”

            “I think it’s time for you to go.” Natasha nodded.

            “I’m not doing anything wrong!”

            “Watch how many fucks I give. Get out.” Nat stepped aside and watched him with murderous eyes. As Rumlow passed by her she followed and put a hand on Bucky’s arm. “I’ll make sure he leaves.” She looked at Steve. “Take care of yourself, Steve.”

            Steve nodded and felt a weight lift off of his shoulder as Natasha and Brock left. He saw Bucky’s face and felt that weight come down on him. “I can explain…”

            Bucky held up a hand. “Just… let’s get to the car.”

            It was Steve’s turn to sleep over at Bucky’s house, but he wasn’t so sure Bucky was going to want him there. They had met at Bucky’s house, so Steve’s car was still there, but Steve’s overnight bag was in Bucky’s room.

            Bucky stormed into the house and left the door open for Steve to follow. Steve trudged in and climbed the stairs after Bucky. Bucky was unbuttoning his button down and facing away from Steve. “I’m sorry, I’ll fix it. Don’t… be mad at me.” Steve sniffed.

            Bucky stopped and turned around. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just mad that… okay maybe I am a little mad at you for not telling me what the hell was going on. But… that guy… was he an ex-boyfriend?”

            Steve nodded then shook his head. Finally he sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know what he is… was… sorry.”

            Bucky regarded him for a moment, his purple button down opened to reveal a soft grey undershirt. “Is he the reason why you say ‘sorry’ a whole lot?”

            “What?”

            “You say sorry, for like a lot of things. You walked too close to me and I didn’t mind it, but then you backed off and said sorry. There was another time when we were looking at my old pictures from the orphanage, and you were laughing so hard at this story I was telling. You like… swallowed it down and said ‘sorry.’”

            Steve shrugged. “S….” he bit his lip.

            Bucky stepped closer. “It’s okay.” He insisted and chanced another step closer. “You’ll always have my forgiveness. I might be pissed off as hell, but… Steve… gah.” Bucky scrubbed his eyes. “Whatever we have, I want it to last for a long time. I like having these sleepovers with you. I like watching movies, I like kissing you. I like seeing you every day at work, I like sleeping next to you. I want to keep that.”

            Steve let out a slow breath to steady himself. “Thank you, and I’m sorry. I should’ve told you.”

            “Told me what that your psychotic ex-lover was popping in unannounced? That would’ve gone over well. I would assume that you were psychic and kind of weird.”

            Steve smiled.

            “You don’t have to tell me anything.” Bucky cooed and reached for Steve’s hand. “You can tell me everything or nothing. I’ll be okay with it. Just know, I am here for you. I was just kind of pissed. I expected to see you with your charcoaled hands sketching something. Then that little flutter in my chest does that fluttery thing.”

            Steve smiled and stepped closer to Bucky, leaning his head against his shoulder. “You’re too sweet.”

            Bucky hummed and pressed a kiss into Steve’s shoulder.

            “So your chest does this fluttery thing when I’m sketching with Charcoal?” Steve asked with mock seriousness. “We should take a look into that, could be hazardous.”

            Bucky laughed and playfully bit into Steve’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and join the fun on Tumblr! Same name and stuff. Sorry this chapter took so long to post, I've been trying to be a superhero this week. It's not been the best idea in the world for me.


	4. Meeting the Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Write a death scene with an unexpected twist.

The orphanage looked frightening to Steve. It was a long and wide grounds with a heavy iron fence surrounding it. In the very center there was a dark red bricked building that overshadowed the little buildings. “So you lived here?”

            Bucky followed Steve’s gaze. “Oh, I didn’t live in the big house, I only lived there when I was a baby. Nah, I lived in the little houses you see around them. Boys side on the left and girls on the right. I got caught frequently on the girls side until I figured out I was bi.”

            “It looks kind of…”

            “Creepy?” Bucky smiled and saluted the guard who buzzed them in. “Yeah, you get used to it. The building was made to be a hospital first. But then after the depression hit, it was abandoned. The Archdiocese of New York bought it and cleaned it up to be a homeless shelter. Until Sister Ashley found a baby on the doorstep. Sister Ashley decided to make it an orphanage.”

            “Huh.”

            “Yeah, the place is haunted.” Bucky mentioned offhandedly.

            “The Catholic orphanage is haunted?” Steve teased.

            Bucky laughed. “Not by bad ghosts, except for Mr. Simpson. He steals your toys and bites you.”

            Steve wasn’t sure Bucky was joking. Bucky parked the car and stepped out. Immediately, a female version of Bucky stepped out with two kids in her arms. “Oh boy.” Bucky groaned and forced a smile. “Get ready for a whole lot of that New York comfort coming out way.”

            “James Buchannan Barnes, you don’t write, nor call and it isn’t until a silly nun dies that you pick up the phone! What am I chopped liver?”

            “Hi Becca.”

            “Oh don’t give me that.” She sassed and checked out Steve. “Holy Mother Immaculate, who’s this and why are his clothes still on?”

            Steve blushed.

            “Ah, Becca this is my boyfriend, Steve.” Bucky coughed.

            “Holy Mother of God, the Lord blessed you baby. Are you a sperm donor by chance?”

            She suddenly got whacked in the back of the head. “Becca please.” A short and elder woman hissed. She wore just a simple habit and let her grey hair poke out from under it. She checked out Steve. “She is right though, the Lord has blessed you.”

            Steve glanced at Bucky. “Am I getting hit on by a nun and a married woman?”

            Bucky’s face, which was at first annoyed, broke into a grin.

            “James, since when do you start dating strippers?” The elder woman asked. “I thought I did wrong by you when you dated that one red head, but this is a new low.”

            “Natasha and I have never dated, Sister Sarah. And Steve isn’t a stripper.”

            “Could’ve fooled me.” Sister Sarah scoffed. “Come inside you’re too skinny for your own good.”

            “I’m so sorry.” Bucky muttered grabbing Steve’s hand. They began to follow Becca and Sister Sarah inside.

            “Don’t be, this is awesome.” Steve lifted their hands to kiss Bucky’s knuckles.

            Sister Sarah had fixed them up with soup that she had deemed ‘mystery soup.’ With corn muffins as hard as a rock.

            Bucky plopped his muffin in the lukewarm soup and poked at it. Getting the muffin to soften up a bit. “So, how’s Sister Diana?”

            Sister Sarah looked glum. “Not well I’m afraid, after one kidney failed, her liver started to have problems. That was just a few years ago. Then when she fell… I’m afraid it’s her time.”

            “Why hasn’t she gone yet?” Bucky pressed.

            Becca shushed her baby and shook her head. “Oh, you know that stubborn old woman. Not going to go down without a fight. Remind you of someone?”

            “You.” Bucky stuck his tongue out at her.

            She stuck it right back.

            “Don’t make me cut off your tongues children!” Sister Sarah hissed and then quieted her tone to not upset the children eating around her. “I think she’s been waiting for you.”

            Bucky’s half smile dropped. “Me? Why me?”

            “You were her favorite.” Sister Sarah hummed and wiped stray tears away. “I’m sure she was yours too.”

            Bucky looked down at his soup. “When can I see her?”

            Sister Sarah placed her hand on Bucky’s, a gesture Steve was all too familiar with when it came to Bucky comforting him. “Tomorrow, let her rest tonight.”

            “The moment she hears that Bucky’s here is the moment she will flip her shit.”

            “Language in the house of the Lord, Rebecca.” Sister Sarah tisked and looked reproachful towards Bucky. “It’ll be okay, James.”

            “Is she in any pain?” Bucky swallowed and Steve put a hand on his knee.

            “A little, but she says it helps when…” Sister Sarah bit her lip to keep from laughing. “It helps when we play Anaconda.”

            Bucky sputtered out a laugh, and then held it in. Then let it loose. “Of course it does.” He said with tears in his eyes.

            “If I have to hear ‘ _boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit_ ’ one more time…” Becca swore with a grin on her face.

            Bucky let out a soft sob, and Steve felt his throat close up.

            “Oh come now, James. This is not the time to cry, but to rejoice.” Sister Sarah smiled watery. “She’s going to meet God in a few days.”

            Bucky nodded and wiped tears from his eyes. “Yeah… it’s just I wish I could go with her.”

            At the hotel, Bucky sat on the bed watching Steve fuss around. “Thank you for coming.” He said after Steve got out of the shower.

            “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Steve smiled and crawled onto the bed next to Bucky. “Tell me one thing that I can do to make you feel better.”

            Bucky shook his head. “Nothin’ really, Steve. I feel so scared to live in a world without her, y’know?”

            Steve nodded sympathetically.

            “How’d you do it with your mom?”

            Steve shrugged and sat back. “I don’t know. I just felt so numb all the time. I was just doing one thing to get to the other, and from that I had another thing to deal with. I felt like I was emotionally exhausted the whole time. But we expected it. With this…”

            Bucky nodded and laid back. “Hold me?”

            Steve nodded and wrapped his arms around him.

 

* * *

 

Sister Diana was not what Steve expected. She was skinny and bony, bright red hair, that was obviously dyed, and big black plastic frames. She was lying in bed with an IV taped to her arm, and another in her hand. She had a nasal cannula, and was reading from the bible.

            She looked up and beamed when Bucky came in. “James!”

            Bucky ran up to her and hugged her as tight as Steve thought he could’ve managed. “I’ve missed you.”

            “No you haven’t.” She hummed hugging him back just as hard then caught sight of Steve. “Am I in heaven?”

            “My gosh, with all of you guys hitting on my boyfriend.” Bucky laughed and pulled Steve closer. “Sister Diana, this is Steve, my boyfriend.”

            Diana smiled at Steve and beckoned him with her finger to come closer. Steve did so. “How much is he paying you?”

            Steve chuckled.

            “You do know he’s no good right?”

            Bucky stuck his tongue to his cheek.

            “I should know! I raised him!”

            “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Bucky teased.

            “There’s exceptions to every rule.” She patted his cheek.

            “You taught me that.”

            “You mean I hammered it into your thick skull. So is this what you’ve come to do? Visit an old dying woman to show that you’re happy?” Sister Diana smiled longingly at Bucky.

            “No, I just really missed Taco Tuesday. Boyfriend needed to see what I was talking about when I said ‘Sister Jane makes the best tacos on the north east side.’”

            “She doesn’t make good tacos. They remind me of freeze dried cardboard with chalky meat.”

            “The sauce, it’s all in the sauce.”

            “The sauce is the worst part in this godforsaken hell hole.”

            “Sister!”

            She shrugged. “I was born this way, and God will take me this way.”

            Bucky grinned and cried softly.

            “Oh don’t give me that. You’re only crying over me because you’re selfish. You’re crying because you wish you would’ve spent more time with me. Learning more about me. You already have been calling me more than twice a week, and three times at the end of the month. Then visiting on every holiday including your summer, winter, and spring breaks. You are so selfish.” She tapped his arm which must’ve been a way to hit him. “You selfish child. Don’t you know that you’re my pride? I prayed to God. ‘Oh God, I know pride is a sin, but give me one thing to be prideful of that wouldn’t be a sin.’ That night, you were born.

            “You are a teacher, a damn good one from what I hear from Natalia. You are a former marine… sorry, you are a marine. You have failed to mention your boyfriend, which I’m a little upset about. However I see that you were scared to tell any of us. Damn it, Bucky, don’t you know…”

            “That it’s okay to be gay.” Bucky sobbed.

            “Or bisexual in your case. I’m so glad God gave me you, Bucky. I’m so glad that he gave me you to see the world in the eyes of James Buchanan Barns. I love you, so much.”

            “I love you, too.” Bucky could barely get the words out he was crying so hard.

            “None of that.” She tapped his thigh. “No crying for an old woman who has balance issues.”

            “You’re not just an old woman.” Bucky sniffed and pawed at her blankets in attempt to make her comfortable. “You’re the closest… no you’re my mother. You raised me to be who I am, and I can’t thank you enough. You taught me how to ride a bike. How to read, how to pray, how to talk to girls, how to talk to _boys_. You held me when I cried… and you were there when I was at my happiest. Growing up, I never had much. But with you… I had everything I ever needed. I just needed your love. I’m sorry it took that long to see it.”

            “Never be sorry for being selfish as a child!” she hissed at him. “Children are supposed to be selfish.”

            Bucky tried to stop crying. “I’m sorry.”

            “You brat. You’ve made this old woman cry!”

            Bucky laughed. “You’re not old until you’ve hit nine-hundred.” He said in a voice that made Steve guess it was an inside joke.

            “Well, I’m nine-hundred and a half.”

            Bucky sobbed and laughed at the same time, and Steve didn’t even realize he was crying too.

            She reached up weakly to grab his face. “I’m not in any pain.” She promised and smiled. “When I am, I turn on that song about the buns and the nurses scramble to get me more pain meds.”

            Bucky hiccupped. “I love you.” He whispered and pressed his forehead to hers.

            She smiled. “I love you, too, son.”  

            Steve had never seen anyone cry harder than Bucky later on that night when they got back from the orphanage.

            “’Lo?” Bucky answered his phone with a stuffy nose in the middle of the night.

            Steve shifted in the bed and blinked awake looking up at Bucky.

            In the dim light, Steve saw Bucky nod. “Yeah, okay. Thank you. I’ll stop by tomorrow. Thank you, goodnight.”

            Steve sat up. “Hey…”

            Bucky had his legs over the side of the bed. “She’s gone.” He muttered.

            Steve slid out and wrapped his arms around Bucky’s middle and kissed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, she was an amazing woman.”

            Bucky choked back a sob.

            “You can cry, you’ll feel better after you cry.” Steve whispered.

 

* * *

 

After the funeral, Bucky and Steve were glad to get back to school. Steve leaned against Bucky’s doorframe. “How do you feel?”

            “Emotionally _exhausted_.” Bucky admitted and placed a text book on each desk. “Thank you.”

            “For what?”

            “For being there, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, having you meet my family so fast, but I’m glad you came.”

            Steve shrugged. “I was just worried you’d have to go at it alone… I was wrong.”

            “About?”

            “You going at it alone.”

            “Ah, nah, I’d would’ve hated if Becca held me while I cried in a cheap and sleazy motel room.” Bucky insisted.

            “Paging Mr. Barnes, is Mr. Rogers with you?” Darcy asked from the intercom.

            “Yeah, both of us are here.” Bucky called up to the ceiling.

            “Thank Norse Gods! I didn’t want to search for him. Anyways, Fury wants to see you in his office. Darcy out.”

            Steve frowned at Bucky. “Do you think he’s mad about… us leaving for half a week?”

            “You called Nat right?”

            Steve nodded.

            “She should’ve taken care of it then…” Bucky’s eyebrows knitted in confusion and grabbed his satchel. “C’mon, let’s go.”

            Nat was perched on one of Fury’s guest chairs like a cat when they arrived. “You wanted to see us, sir?” Bucky asked.

            Fury lifted an eyebrow. “Sit.”

            Steve swallowed a rock and sat down next to Natasha.

            “You two have any idea how lucky your asses are that there just so happened to be an English and a History convention this past weekend?” Fury hissed.

            “What?” Steve scrunched up his nose.

            “Pierce has just put a ban on same sex coupling on campus.” Nat explained.

            “He… WHAT?” Bucky yelped standing.

            “Sit down Barnes, before I make you sit down.” Fury snapped.

            “He put the ban on the day you left. He was suspicious. And apparently you two aren’t careful enough to not talk about your relationship in front of the children.” Nat said through gritted teeth. “Children who tell their parents everything.”

            “Oh.” Bucky hummed awkwardly.

            “Yeah ‘oh’ Barnes. Luckily, I was able to convince Pierce that Steve is without a shadow of a doubt straighter than the pole his mother dances on. Also that you two weren’t at a funeral of Bucky’s adoptive mother, you two were instead at separate conferences. Steve you were at Berkley for English. Why give such short notice? The hell if I know, but there was an English conference. I pulled some strings, you had dinner with Professor Martin, and she is a lovely woman, who you may have had sex with.

            “Bucky, you were in Georgia, at a history convention. Why such short notice? Because you’re a dumbass. You attended a seminar with Professor Lee, you did not have sex with him because he is older than a fucking dinosaur and has a bad hip.”

            “Wait, okay thank you for not letting me have sex with an old guy in fake life, but what is Peirce threatening?”

            “Termination.” Nat crossed her arms.

            “He can’t do that, I have tenure!” Bucky scoffed and started to rise but sat down when Fury glared at him. “I could be doing a naked séance in the middle of lunch, and I could still have my job!”

            “For the love of all things holy, don’t have a naked séance. You will get fired, tenure or not. Pierce found wiggle room to move past the tenure. If he just says that you were doing ‘indecent acts’ he will be able to get you fired. There will be no investigation planned because Main Office is a fucking train wreck in the middle of a snowstorm.” Fury spat.

            “What… how… what do we do?” Steve swallowed.

            “Lay low.” Nat sighed.

            “What about Peter and Wade? They’re together aren’t they? They’ve been together for years!” Bucky stuttered.

            “Their relationship has already been observed. Main Office has deemed it as not distracting to the work environment. If Pierce tries to fire one or both of them for indecent acts, they’ll ask questions.” Fury grumbled.

            “Ah… Clint! Clint was in a relationship with…”

            “With Coulson, but they broke up, and Coulson now is married to the Orchestra director. Their baby girl is due in May.” Nat explained and crossed her arms. “Thank you, by the way for remembering he and I are in a relationship.”

            “My adoptive mother just died, and I’m being told that I have to hide my relationship with Steve, sorry… I’m a little frazzled.” Bucky spat.

            “What about Sam?” Steve frowned.

            “Sam is out and proud about being pansexual, but he currently isn’t dating anyone.” Nat nodded.

            Bucky opened his mouth.

            “Listen, you could spout off another teacher’s name. And Romanoff and I can tell you the reason why they are safe, but we’d just be wasting time. The only couple here that isn’t safe is you two.”

            “Why?” Steve frowned.

            “That we’re not sure of.” Nat sighed.

            “Can we report it?” Steve asked.

            “Done.” Fury scoffed.

            “And?”

            “Not only did they say they’ll look into it, but that they have to have concrete proof that Pierce has said specifically ‘no homo.’” Nat explained.

            “What can we do?” Bucky asked.

            “There’s nothing any of us can do. Right now we have Loki and Darcy recording everything that Pierce says and does. Once we find something incriminating, we’ll use it against him.” Fury nodded.

            The first period bell rang, but Bucky nor Steve moved. “Dismissed.” Fury nodded lifting an eyebrow.

            “Ironic isn’t it?” Bucky muttered standing. “I tell the kids that we teach history so we don’t repeat the past. I have taught the kids about the holocaust. About how the Axis powers just oppressed the Jews, and how people just _allowed_ it until finally they were all swallowed up. Nowhere to go.”

            “It’s not going to be like that, James.” Nat called after him.

            “Sure feels like it.” He called over his shoulder.


	5. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The coldest you’ve ever been.

The camp was supposed to be right here but it wasn’t. Bucky re-calculated and went over the instructions at least three times before he sat down and shook his head. “Okay.” He whispered watching his breath rise. “Russia one, Barnes zero.”

            He attempted to make a fire, that didn’t work, the ground was too cold, and then there wasn’t enough timber to burn. He waited for the sun to set and fretted about what he should do next.

            Die, dying would be okay.

            Bucky buried his numb face into his equally numb hands. They’d find his body and say “Dumbass, he should’ve known to take a right turn here instead of a left turn.” They’d send a car to the orphanage, give condolences to Becca and Sister Diana, and pay for the funeral. The whole time they’d have the air of “Barnes was a good soldier, fucking useless though.”

            Bucky sat down in the snow against an icy tree and started to pray. He pulled out his rosary and signed himself. “Our Father…” he mouthed. He must’ve prayed three or four sets of a rosary before he heard snow crunching in front of him.

            “Are you praying?”

            Bucky looked up and saw a slight human being with a mess of red hair under her large military issued coat’s hood.

            Bucky stood up. “Are you an angel?”

            She rolled her eyes. “Last person to call me that got his balls ripped off. Would you like the same treatment?”

            “Not an angel, then. The sisters back home would want to meet you though.” Bucky nodded.

            “You’re delirious. Wait… Barnes?”

            “The one and only… well… there’s a few hundred people back in the states with the last name, but if you’re looking for me. Then yes.”

            “James Buchannan Barnes? The famously talented marine?”

            “Sniper.”

            “What?”

            “I am a marine. But I’m a talented sniper.”

            She blinked at him. “Unbelievable.”

            “What?”

            “I’m the one supposed to take you to the camp? We thought you got lost.”

            “I didn’t!” Bucky pulled out his instructions.

            Natasha read them over. “Oh… you forgot to carry the one when it came to the longitude. You must be out of it.”

            “You forgot to… carry the one.”

            “Literally, the camp is like three miles that way.” She pointed behind her.

            “Oh.”

            “Useless.”

            “My name isn’t James by the way.”

            “The fuck is your name then?”

            “Bucky.”

            After a beat she replied. “That sounds stupid.”

            “Does not.”

            “Does too! Now c’mon Barnes move your ass.”

            “Not until I get to make fun of your name!”

            “Natalia Romanov. I go by Natasha in the states.”

            Bucky nodded.

            “Well?”

            “I can’t come up with anything.”

            “Thought so.”

            They trekked to camp and Bucky surprisingly didn’t feel cold, he felt warm. He stirred awake, and found he was in his bedroom and Steve’s arm was around his waist. Bucky smiled and scooted closer to Steve, and nodded off.

            It was now dark, and loud from the emergency buzzer. The emergency lights flashed red. He sprang out of bed and threw on his pants, shirt, and boots. Dashing outside he saw Nat crawling out of her room and they exchanged a worried glance. “What’s going on?” Bucky shouted over the alarms.

            “I don’t know!” she shouted back. “Let’s get to command station, and figure it out from there.”

            Bucky nodded and followed her.

            Gunfire made his blood run colder than the temperature that was outside. Nat double backed and threw them against a wall and they gasped to calm their breathing down.

            Another round of gunfire. Bucky drew his gun and ran ahead of Nat. _‘Pop, pop, pop.’_ Bucky thought it was strange that something so destructive sounded so childlike.

            The lab was the first room Nat and Bucky checked. Three dead, two wounded, badly. They wanted to stop but there was no way they could save the two wounded. “Where’d they go?” Nat demanded of one of them, the lesser hurt one.

            He lifted a bloody hand and dropped his head against the wall. Bucky breathed heavily.

            “Dead.” Nat said with the same coldness as the outside air and stood. “c’mon.”

            She and Bucky ran to the next room and nothing in their training could’ve prepared them for the next room. The blood, the screams and the deafening gunfire that echoed throughout the room.

            Bucky saw a bullet come for him and hit his left arm, thankfully he couldn’t feel the burning pain that came with it. It wasn’t until he felt a bullet hit his leg and stomach he remembered he should’ve put on a vest. Bucky screamed in pain and tried to keep standing, but another bullet found his other leg and he had to take a knee after that.

            Someone came over him and put their hands on his shoulders. Bucky tried to wiggle away from them. They began shouting at him something he couldn’t understand over the noise. It must’ve been an enemy. He screamed and he felt like he was falling. “Bucky!” they screamed at him. “It’s just a nightmare!”

            Bucky flopped and scrambled in bed. “Where am I?” he demanded shooting out of bed and grabbing the gun under his bed. He pointed it at the figure in his bed.

            Steve raised his hands with wide eyes. “You’re at home, it’s me… Steve Rogers? Your boyfriend?”

            Bucky panted. “Steve?”

            Steve nodded and watched the gun. “Yeah, can I turn on the light? You can see me better that way.”

            “No, I’ll turn on the light.” Bucky lowered the gun and went to the bedside table to click on the light. “I’m so sorry.” He hung his head and dropped the gun.

            Steve shook his head and scooted closer to him. “It’s okay.”

            “I haven’t had a nightmare like that in a few years.” Bucky whispered mournfully.

            Steve nodded. “It’s okay.”

            Bucky fisted his eyes. “It’s not okay. Damn it.” He hissed.

            “What do you think made you have the nightmare?” Steve asked gently.

            Bucky swallowed and didn’t look at Steve. “I think the stress…” he said and his tone was filled with awkwardness.

            Steve frowned. “Stress of what?”

            Bucky shook his head. “Y’know like… gah… I don’t know how to say this without offending you.”

            “No offence will be taken here.” Steve promised.                               

            Bucky scratched his head and settled more into bed and glanced at the clock. “Two in the fucking morning. Damn it.”

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            Bucky raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes. “I want to talk about it, but I also want to get some sleep.”

            Steve nodded and smoothed the blankets over. “Can you sleep?”

            Bucky shook his head. “I don’t think I can.”

            Steve paused and then put a hand on Bucky’s arm and gave him a warm smile. “So tell me about your dream. When I used to have bad dreams, I’d go through them in my head and make them a happy dream.” Steve offered.

            Bucky noticed that Steve was running a hand up and down his left arm. He felt like he was being choked.

            Steve withdrew his hand. “I’m so sorry, I forgot.” He stuttered and moved his hand to Bucky’s leg. “Wait… sexual… not…”

            Bucky smiled at Steve’s attempts and threaded his left hand with Steve’s. “It’s okay.” He promised and kissed Steve’s hand. “I dreamt about my mission in Russia.” He swallowed and bunched up his pants to show his bullet wounds to his upper thighs. “It got kind of messy.” He admitted.

            Steve nodded. “What happened?”

            “Officially, ah… the enemy walked in and attempted to take us down. Nat and I had just gotten off of a rotation, so we were unprepared and …” he poked his scar.

            “Unofficially?”

            Bucky paused. “The enemy tried to rescue one of their own. We… we ah… tortured the guy and… we were asking for it.” Bucky nodded.

            Steve’s jaw hung open. “Oh.”

            Bucky nodded. “I… I hated it, and it’s not like I wanted to do it at all. But when your boss tells you something, especially when you’re shoulder deep in that situation… you do it.”

            “I’m sorry.”

            “For what?”

            “That you had to go through that.” Steve pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

            Bucky nodded and hid his brow shamefully. “You would think after a few months of really good therapy and all this other religious crap I do, I’d be okay.”

            Steve nodded then shrugged. “Well, it’s something that you can’t control. When you’re stressed, like you said you were, it just comes out.”

            Bucky nodded then paused. “I pulled a gun on you. Holy shit, I am so sorry.”

            Steve smiled. “It’s fine.”

            “No it’s not.” Bucky turned to him and framed Steve’s face with his hands. “I’ll put away my gun next time.”

            “No, you don’t have to do that, it’s a safety thing for you. I get it.” Steve pressed a chaste kiss to Bucky’s right wrist.

            Bucky kissed him and then paused. “You should know I have scars. Like… a lot of them.”

            Steve swallowed and nodded. “I figured.”

            Bucky fisted his own shirt and lifted it. “Two bullets here, Nat had to dig them out of me so that’s why they’re gross looking.”

            Steve shook his head and pressed feather light kisses to his abdomen. “They’re not gross.”

            Bucky shuddered. “You keep kissing me like that…” Bucky muttered.

            Steve blinked innocent blue-raspberry eyes at him. “Whatever do you mean?”

            Bucky laughed. “Stop.”

            Steve smiled and kissed Bucky’s cheekbone. “I think I’m in love with you.”

            “Think or you know?” Bucky said in his best teacher voice.

            “Just think. I’m still waiting.”

            “For what?” Bucky laughed.

            Steve shrugged and pulled away. “Do you want to go back to sleep?”

            Bucky nodded and settled in. “Hold me?” he whispered softly.

            Steve did.

* * *

 The next morning, Bucky snuck away during his conference period to Nat’s class.

            Dr. Banner was talking with her while they watched the kids run on the track. Dr. Banner was a licensed therapist and somehow landed a job as the head councilor at the school.

            “Hey!” Bucky called.

            Banner glanced behind him and shook Bucky’s hand. “Barnes, how are you?”

            Bucky was caught between telling the truth to his best friend and a licensed therapist, and lying and say: “Fine.”

            “Gotta admit, not doing so hot.” Bucky admitted shoving his hands into his pockets.

            Nat blinked at him. “What’s going on?”

            He took a deep breath and told them what had happened the night before. The three of them sat on the bleachers. Nat looked at the crowd of kids starting to gather and blew her whistle “Another lap guys! Just jog this one then hit the showers!” she commanded then turned back to Bucky and Banner.

            “You said you hadn’t had a dream like that in a couple of months.” Banner frowned at Bucky and watched the kids start to jog. “What’s changed?”

            Bucky swallowed and crossed his arms. “I’m not sure. I lost Sister Diana a few weeks ago. She helped me through a lot of the PTSD stuff when I came back. Then there’s Steve and I, but I’m so fucking happy with Steve.”

            “There’s also the whole thing with Pierce.” Nat piped up.

            Banner frowned. “The… no same sex coupling?”

            Nat nodded stiffly.

            “It’s whatever with that, I don’t really care.” Bucky scoffed and leaned forward on his elbows.

            “Your words say you don’t, but your expression says you do.” Banner pointed out.

            Bucky glanced at him and thought. “Okay, so… yeah, I’m kind of nervous about it. It feels like Steve and I are the only ones being targeted and it doesn’t make sense! We’re in a healthy relationship… right?” he looked at Banner.

            Banner nodded. “Yeah, from what Natalia has told me, and you have just told me… it’s standard healthy happy relationship.”

            Bucky nodded.

            “And you’re not the only ones being targeted.” Nat swallowed.

            “Meaning…” Bucky paused and looked at the redhead. “Shit… Pete and Wade? Are they okay?”

            “They’re fine.” Nat scoffed and rolled her eyes.

            Bucky frowned at her. “You have a girl? I thought you were dating Clint.”

            “No, that’d be me.” Banner wiggled his fingers.

            “I just kind of stand there. I’m Clint’s beard, is the short and long of it.” Nat explained.

            Bucky nodded and put his face in his sweaty hands. “This school is almost too gay to function.”

            “This is not the time to be quoting Mean Girls.” Nat reprimanded and smacked his knee. “Besides. Hill is… oh no she and Thirteen started dating didn’t they?” she asked Banner.

            Banner nodded. “They broke up though. Hill couldn’t risk her job for ‘experimenting.’”

            “Shame, cute couple. Fury though.”

            “Straight as popsicle stick.” Banner nodded. “Not interested in dating though.”

            Nat hummed.

            Banner turned to Bucky. “Have you told Steve why you think last night happened?”

            Bucky shook his head. “No, but he knows what the dream consisted of.” He looked at Nat and nudged her shoulder. “The whole truth. I couldn’t lie to him.”

            Nat nodded and stared off watching the kids. “It’s the right thing to do.” She muttered.

            “I just feel so… gross after it.”

            “May I ask what happened?” Banner asked.

            Natasha gave him the cliff notes then blew her whistle. “Get in the showers!” she yelled at them. “It’s not that this information is classified…”

            “It’s just if we come out publicly with it, we’ll be deemed as insane and possibly murdered.” Bucky sighed.

            Banner nodded and stood. “I suggest telling Steve.” he shrugged and held up a hand. “Tell him why you’re stressed.”

            Bucky nodded.

            “Hey, join us for lunch too.” Banner offered. “We normally meet in Phil’s room.”

            “We normally talk shit about the prick.”

            Bucky laughed and nodded. “Yeah, we’ll join you.”

            “Everything’s gonna be okay.” Banner assured Bucky. “Everyone at this school is trying to fix this. Know that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and visit me on Tumblr [HERE](http://thecatholicfangirl.tumblr.com/)!


	6. Lunch Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A couple is arguing about an empty bottle of juice with lipstick on the rim.

“It’s yours!” Peter yelped as Steve and Bucky walked in to Phil’s orchestra room.

            “Is not!” Wade scoffed back. “Baby spider, I don’t care if you allowed that hot gym teacher drink from the juice. Just tell me the truth.”

            “Baby spider?” Nat frowned.

            “It’s his nickname for me. Don’t ask.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Natasha didn’t drink from the juice. She doesn’t even wear lipstick!”

            Wade blinked at her. “Are you the hot gym teacher? I thought that was the other one?”

            “Who? Me?” Sam asked.

            Wade glanced at him. “Heyyyy, you single?”

            “Yes.” Sam nodded.

            “You’re not though!” Peter reprimanded.

            “Oh yeah.”

            “ _Oh yeah?_ ”

            Nat smiled up at Steve and Bucky. “Don’t mind them. They’re just our mealtime entertainment for today.”

            Steve smiled.

            “Holy shit, are you single? Or are you a stripper?” Wade pointed to Steve.

            Peter buried his hands into his face. “Forget this shit.”

            “Baby spider! We got a stripper in the house!” Wade clapped.

            “That’s the new teacher!” Pete hissed.

            “Oh, so you know him then huh?”

            “Yeah, we’ve seen each other in the halls.”

            “Dark halls, where things happen.”

            “What things?” Peter asked in pain.

            “Is he where the lipstick came from?”

            “IT’S YOUR LIPSTICK.”

            “I don’t wear lipstick!”

            Peter winced. “For the love of God, please don’t make me say it aloud.”

            “No, say it aloud. Tell the whole world that you let some lipstick wearing chick drink out of your juice.” Wade crossed his arms.

            Peter was redder than a tomato. “Do you remember when you said you wanted to explore certain… kinks?”

            Sam laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

            Wade blinked at him. “We talked about a lot of kinks. You’ve gotta be more specific.”

            Natasha squeaked and laughed.

            “The kink where…” Peter was nearly crying. “Where you said you wanted to see how lipstick felt on…”

            “Oh yeah! That was a good night.” Wade hummed.

            “I hate you.”

            “Baby spider.” Wade pouted and then looked at the lipstick on the juice bottle. “It’s a good shade, don’t you think?” he showed it to Natasha.

            Natasha nodded in approval. “Guys, if you haven’t met him, this is Steve Rogers, he replaced Mrs. D.”

            “Aww, I liked her.” Wade frowned.

            “She hated you.” Peter pointed out.

            “All the more reason to like her.” Wade smiled fondly. “So were you a stripper in a previous life? I have a feeling you were.” Wade squinted at him. He had a crooked nose and a strange discoloration on his neck and shoulder.

            Steve blushed. “No.”

            “He’s hot.” Wade pointed out. “Hot damn, make a dragon wanna retire man!”

            Peter looked lost and sad.  “I deal with this because I love him?” he asked himself.

            “So… Peter teaches physics at the high school and science here. Wade teaches science here.” Nat started to introduce them.

            “I teach orchestra, Phil Coulson.” Phil smiled at Steve and then turned to Wade. “I agree with you by the way.”

            “On what? The fact that the government is slowly suffocating us by feeding us the lie that global warming isn’t the cause of time traveling? Or that he’s hot?” Wade asked.

            “Both.”

            “I knew it!”

            “I’m Sam Wilson, I teach basketball and football at the high school, and I’m a gym teacher here.” Sam smiled.

            “Clint Barton, I’m deaf in my right ear, and I’m starting to lose my hearing in my left, so look at me when you talk to me. I’m the librarian, by the way.” Clint started to dig into his sandwich.

            “Hey, I’m Darcy, I run the PA, and I get paid for it.”

            “I’m Loki, the secretary, and hopelessly in love with Darcy.” Loki had an accent from England, Steve guessed.

            “Gross.” Darcy teased.

            They kissed.

            “Double gross.” Wade said with wide eyes. “Do it again.”

            Peter wacked Wade on the arm.

            “BABY SPIDER DON’T HURT ME, I LOVE YOU!” Wade sang loudly and off key.

            “I’m done, I’m fucking done.” Peter muttered.

            Wade paused and then turned to Peter and smiled.

            “What?”

            “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

            Peter gave him half a smile. “Mhmm.”

            “Your jaw line does things to me baby spider.”

            Peter closed his eyes and blushed again. “Stop it.”

            “I gotta ask, ‘Baby Spider?’” Bucky asked.

            “Do you want me to tell the story?” Peter asked Wade. “I’m telling the fucking story. So we’re on date night, and we’re chattering and stuff and all of a sudden there’s this spider crawling across the table. Wade freaks the fuck out, and jumps on me to get away from it. In the confusion, he started to scream: ‘kill the Peter, Spider! Kill the Peter.’”

            Wade nodded. “And he killed the Peter.”

            “Grown ass man, jumping on a twig twenty-four year old.” Peter rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

            “Sexy, say it again, but slower.” Wade licked his lips.

            “We are at school.”

            “Let’s move sex education up a couple of months.”

            “STOP!” Peter laughed and hid his face. “Damn it Wade, I love you.”

            “It’s the only time they get to say it during the school day.” Sam explained.

            “He and Bucky are together.” Nat informed.

            “You’re tapping that?” Wade blinked at Bucky. “What’s it like? I want details.”

            Steve blushed and Peter hit Wade again.

            “Wow, I didn’t know that, you guys keep it quiet.” Sam said with his eyebrows raised.

            “We kind of have to.” Bucky shrugged and stirred his lukewarm soup. “With the whole thing with Pierce.”

            Everyone gave a solemn nod. “Sucks.” Darcy sighed.

            “Have you guys gotten anything?” Phil asked.

            “We’ve gotten a recording of him making false claims and the like. That alone is enough grounds to fire him, but Fury is asking for us to find more.” Loki swallowed and spooned some exotic looking rice in his mouth.

            “It’s not just the whole same sex ban that’s gotten me pissed off.” Sam set down his soggy pizza. “It’s the way these kids are acting too! There’s no way to punish them when they do something wrong! I’m not asking for like beating them with a stick. But… the other day for instance. I asked these boys to stop throwing mashed potatoes, a reasonable thing to ask right? They flat out flicked me off. I nearly threw their asses to the principal’s office.”

            “I remember this event.” Loki nodded.

            “And what Principal Prick do?”

            “Absolutely nothing to resolve the situation.” Loki shook his head. “Sure the circumstances were humorous, but…”

            “They called me the ‘n’ word!” Sam scoffed and shook his head. “Said: ‘I’ll bust a fucking cap in your ass, n word.’ Straight up, and in front of Principal Prick. What did he do? Nada. I told the kids. ‘Listen, I don’t care what you call me, right? But understand this, once you’re out in the real world and you say that to someone like me, they’re gonna hurt you.’” Sam rubbed his eyes. “Fuck, even if I talk like that in front of anyone right now…”

            “He’d be killed.” Nat muttered.

            “Oh, c’mon now… you’ wouldn’t be killed.” Steve appealed.

            “Yo Striptease, I’m an African-American man living in the twenty first century. Hell yeah, I’ll be killed.” Sam scoffed.

            “You’re right.” Steve said softly.

            “These kids aren’t getting any form of boundaries. And Steve, sorry about calling you Striptease, it was in the heat of the moment.” Sam amended quickly.

            “I’m sorry for dismissing that you’d be killed.” Steve nodded.

            “Look at that! Adults! Conversing!” Wade yelped.

            “I had to intervene in Wade’s class the other day because one of the kids started to throw up.” Peter started and then nodded to Wade. “Reason being? Kid was eating paste.”

            “Dumbass, I kept telling him to stop, but no, little Jimmy started to laugh. Thankfully it’s non-toxic. Unthankfully, it’s toxic only when you eat a monster bottle of the stuff.”

            “Worst. Phone call. To the parents. Ever.”

            “He ain’t talkin about mine, mine are dead.” Wade smiled.

            “We took the kid to the nurse’s office and I went to Pierce right? Pierce had the fucking audacity to ask if I was ‘overreacting’ because Wade is my ‘partner.’” Peter scoffed.

            “What you say?” Nat asked.

            “I said ‘First of all, I’m not overreacting. Secondly, Wade isn’t my partner, he’s my boyfriend.’”

            “He got a very nice hickey on his hip that night.” Wade winked.

            “Wade!” Peter blushed.

            “He has a thing for hickeys.” Wade ignored Peter and looked at him. “So sessy.” He said and patted his shoulder.

            “You mean sassy or sexy?”

            “No sessy.”

            “Did you get in trouble for that?” Bucky asked.

            “Of course.” Peter scoffed. “I was told ‘you’re done for the day.’ And escorted off the campus.”

            “Make that two hickeys. One on his peck too.” Wade smiled.

            “Had a girl come up to the counseling office, a guy was touching her without her permission. So I got the name of the kid, and filled out a report, and sent it in. Two weeks later! I ask Prick about it, and he says there was ‘underlying circumstances.’” Banner rolled his eyes.

            “And those underlying circumstances were?” Phil asked.

            “More than likely that the boy’s parents are rich and fund half of the PTA’s useless meetings.” Banner shrugged.

            “What the hell?” Nat sighed.

            “I placed a call to the parents, and of course they’re the type of parents that are like ‘my son would never do this! Outrageous.’” Banner shook his head. “I hate the fact that these parents are claiming they want what’s best for the kids. Then at the same time they’re cutting it up and ripping it to shreds the moment we ask for them to discipline their child.”

            “Because the parents think it’s our job.” Steve rolled his eyes and muttered into his soup. “And we think it’s their job.”

            “Ah… takes a village.” Sam shrugged.

            “YMCA?” Wade snapped his head up from texting and started moving his shoulders into a phantom beat. Steve guessed it was YMCA.

            “One of the girls in my health class is gah… you know her Barton.” Nat nodded to Clint.

            He squinted at her and made a hand motion at her.

            “One of the girls in my health class. You know her?” Nat repeated.

            “Which one?” Clint asked putting his full attention to her.

            “Jackie?”

            Clint winced and nodded. “Possible anorexia and nervousness. Her twin brother, sweet kid, came into the library holding their baby brother and crying.”

            “What? Why?” Steve blinked shocked.

            Nat pointed at Steve.

            Clint blinked to Steve. “What?”

            “Why was he crying and had his baby brother?” Steve asked.

            Clint’s jaw became taught. “Not sure, but I think it’s because the parents couldn’t drop the child off at daycare. I watched the kid for the day.” He sighed and rubbed his eyebrow. “Negligent parents, with everything already resting on the eldest boy of the family. It doesn’t work well doing that.”

            Sam nodded grimly. “Maybe we can do something about the girl? Take her to the councilors?”

            Banner nodded. “We can do that.”

            “I’ll write her a pass next time I see her.” Nat offered.

            “I’ll send him to you when I see him next.” Clint winked.

            “We’re gonna get through this, right?” Phil asked after the long awkward pause.

            “We’re gonna try our hardest.” Sam agreed just as the bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and join the fun [HERE!](thecatholicfangirl.tumblr.com)


	7. Spring Allergies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lateness, it's been a hectic few weeks. So I wrote you guys two chapters to say thank you for your patience.  
> Prompt: Write about Allergies

Steve couldn’t see anything, his eyes were itchy, his nose was runny, and his throat was killing him. No amount of water, rest, and tissues fixed these problems. He let the kids do free draw during his art classes. During English, he had them each take turns reading aloud sections from Tom Sawyer. It was a supposed literary classic, but Steve at this point found it stupid and bothersome.

            He decided that during his lunch break he would run down to the Walgreens a few blocks away and pick up some allergy medications. Maybe that’d help get him through the next few hours of school.

            Bucky went with him, holding his hand once they were at least two blocks away from the school. “Spring allergies must suck, huh?” Bucky teased.

            Steve just muttered in response.

            Bucky smiled and pressed his lips on Steve’s knuckles. “Why don’t you take anything? I take allergy meds every morning when spring starts.”

            “Every year it’s different for me.” Steve insisted and squeezed Bucky’s hand.

            “How so?”

            “One year the meds work, the next, they’re useless. Then they do work, but then I’m exhausted for the rest of the day. I’ve seen my allergist about this, but he says the same thing: I can give you a heaver dose of meds, but I make no promises that they’d work.”

            “Ah, well, I’m just thankful that I’m just allergic to Shellfish.”

            “I hate everything.” Steve remarked as they walked into the Walgreens.

            “Even your loving boyfriend?”

            “My head is too congested to produce anything but hate at the moment.” Steve grumbled, and they made a beeline for the medication section.

            Bucky bit his tongue. “What’s the allergen that’s messing with you right now?”

            “It’s either mold, oak, cedar, or a combination of all three. I’m sorry I’m grumpy.”

            “It’s because you have allergies, don’t worry about it. I love you just the same.” He told Steve as they walked to the front counter.

            “That’s sweet.” Steve handed the casher the box with a smile and started to fish out his wallet when Bucky stepped in and handed the clerk his card. “No, Buck… I can’t allow you to…”

            “It’ll make you less grumpy, and I like my Steve every which way, but I like him best when he’s not grumpy.” Bucky insisted and winked at the casher.

            She seemed flustered and quickly processed the transaction without making eye contact. She then shoved the box back into Steve’s hand and the receipt to Bucky. “Thanks.”

            “Thank you, have a good day.” Bucky smiled at her and Steve and he made their way back to the campus with ten minutes left in lunch.

            “Hey!” Wade beamed at them. “Where did you guys go? A closet that locks?”

            Peter swatted him on the arm without looking up from a physics text book and correcting the inaccuracies.

            “Nah, we went to the corner store to get Steve some allergy meds.” Bucky claimed taking the chair next to Natasha.

            “Same here.” Sam groaned and stretched out his legs. He took a look at Steve. “Though I’m probably not suffering as much as you are.”

            Steve raised his eyebrows and nodded, this was his way of thanking Sam.

            “Take some now.” Bucky insisted opening the box and handing Steve the recommended dosage.

            “Thank you.” Steve groaned and popped the pills in his mouth, dry swallowing. “No gag reflex, that’s what I get for growing up as a sick kid.”

            “Oh, how terrible.” Clint moaned sarcastically.

            Bucky blushed.

            The rest of their day passed by uneventful. Steve had chased a few kids to go to their classes and of course there was no administrator there monitoring the halls. The teachers nearly broke their necks keeping an eye out and preparing for their next class in between passing periods. It wasn’t until Steve’s last period of the day when Principal Peirce stepped in his classroom.

            “Principal Peirce.” Steve smiled looking up from reading a section of Tom Sawyer. “Something I can do for you?” And he was glad he took the allergy meds and had nicked Bucky’s coffee mug.

            “Yes, go home.”

            Steve felt his heart stop. “I’m… sorry?”

            “Go home, you’re done here.”

            “Wh… I’m fired?”

            “No, but there is questions regarding your styles in education, and given the circumstances…”

            “If it’s about this morning, I had an allergy attack. I had to pull out my sub stuff for the kids to work on.” Steve swore.

            “No, it’s not that.”

            “Wh…” Steve looked at the kids who were watching the situation with wide eyes. “Ah… Mary, pick up where I left off, then at the end of this chapter answer questions one through four on a piece of paper. May we talk outside, Principal Pierce?”

            Pierce nodded and stepped outside just as Mary started to read aloud.

            “Is there something wrong?”

            “You ethics are in question, Mr. Rogers.”

            “My _ethics_?”

            “Yes, it appears that a parent was concerned about your relationship status, and how it would affect your teaching ability. An investigation is pending now.”

            “My relationship status?”

            Pierce gave a sharp nod. “Is there anything you would like to admit to right now, Mr. Rogers?”

            Steve swallowed and glanced at the door. “None that I can think of, sir.” He admitted and crossed his arms. “I’ve been single for a year now.” He bit his tongue.

            Pierce stood still and watched Steve. “Good, nothing will come from the investigation that is pending.”

            Steve felt pain in his shoulders spring up. “Okay, let me go get my things, and I’ll call Coach Romanoff to…”

            “No need, I’ll be teaching them. But yes go get your things.”

            Steve swallowed and walked back in and quickly grabbed his things without looking at the kids. If he looked at the kids he’d start to cry from embarrassment. He met Pierce outside the classroom.

            “Good, and like I said: Unless you’re hiding something, there shouldn’t be any need to worry about the investigation pending on you and Mr. Barnes.” Pierce smiled coldly.

            Steve felt his blood run cold. “I’m… I’m sorry?”

            “You and Mr. Barnes are in question of ethics. Barnes is staying here though, because the parent was more concerned about your ethics rather than Mr. Barnes.”

            Steve couldn’t breathe, his chest was tightening like it used to when he had an asthma attack, and his neck felt ice cold. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “Right.”

            Pierce walked into the classroom door and shut it closed. Steve stared wide eyed at the floor before turning on his heel and walking to Bucky’s room. He poked his head in to see Bucky lecturing. “Mr. Barnes.”

            “Mr. Rogers! Give me two… what’s wrong?”

            “I’m heading home.”

            “Why? Are you sick?”

            Steve glanced at the kids whose glazed eyes were now starting to focus on Steve. “Ah, no… I’ve been sent home.”

            “Oh.” Bucky swallowed with wide eyes. “Okay, ah… yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

            Steve nodded and backed out and away to his car. He was so distraught that he needed to turn off the music. Everything coming from the radio sounded like white noise, and it wasn’t helping his thinking process. He got home and saw Bucky’s car knowing that Bucky would catch a ride from Nat. Sure enough, a text from Bucky said “Nat’s taking me to my car, and is offering to order pizza, I’m also informing Fury about this. I love you.”

            Steve smiled and typed back “I love you, too.”

* * *

 

Fury had invited himself to Steve’s apartment, and was currently bothering Mrs. McCarthy in the next room over. The one with the bad hip, a cat, and last month she had threatened the landlord to dump all her fecal matter on his doorstep if he didn’t fix her sink for her.

            Steve was on pins and needles as Fury was barking in his phone. “I want all that information in a flash drive, and I want a detailed report about how you two got that information, do you understand? Good now pass me to Darcy so I can tell her… Because I know you won’t tell her everything! Because I know you dumbass, now put your sweet girlfriend on the phone before I reach through time and space and kill you with my bare hands. Thank you!”

            Nat was currently perched on Steve’s couch. Bucky was sitting on the dining table, and Steve was standing at the center of it all arms crossed and nervous. “It’ll be fine,” Bucky promised.

            Steve nodded.

            Fury had finished barking orders and switched to texting. “Damn it.” He swore under his breath and looked up. “I mean fuck it all, damn it. Shit…. How did you two dumbasses get caught?”

            “Wait that’s why Steve went home?” Bucky asked with wide eyes.

            “No, Pierce really just wanted Steve to go home because he looked tired! How did you two get caught?”

            “I don’t know!” Bucky insisted. “We’ve done nothing couple-y since nearly a month ago at school. At home it’s a different story. I swear.”

            “Do you have a neighbor who sees Steve?” Nat asked tired.

            “No!”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Not really!”

            “Do you have a neighbor that sees Bucky?”

            “I don’t think so.” Steve said softly.

            “Think, damn it, because this could get Steve and you fired!” Fury hissed.

            Bucky leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “Okay let’s go back a week.”

            “Ah… Monday and Wednesday I drove to school” Steve nodded. “Friday I took the day off to go see my mother’s grave, it was the anniversary of her death.”

            Bucky scratched his cheek. “I drove Tuesday and Thursday, took a half day on Friday to dive with Steve to see his mom’s grave.”

            “What did you tell the kids?” Nat asked Bucky.

            “I told them I wasn’t feeling well.” Bucky shrugged. “Main reason why I took a half day.”

            “I told them the truth. I went to see my mom.”

            “Okay this Monday, what did you do?” Fury crossed the room and settled his hands on his hips.

            “Ah… taught the kids about Civil Rights, we’re in that section right now.” Bucky nodded.

            “Started chapter two of Tom Sawyer with the English kids, and had the art kids start a self-portrait.”

            “Anything couple-y that day?”

            “Not that day, but later on that night, we picked up Chinese food, Redboxed a movie, and graded papers at the dining room table.”

            “Who’s house?”

            “Mine.” Bucky raised his hand and dropped it. “Tuesday, woke up, drove to Steve’s apartment for him to get changed for work. Talked to the kids about the inaccuracies of the Civil Rights movement.”

            “Chapter three of Tom Sawyer, self-portraits.”

            “That night?”

            “Ah, my apartment, and we were pretty exhausted, so we just napped as soon as we got here.” Steve sat down next to Nat. “Wednesday? Yesterday. Woke up, we didn’t drive to Bucky’s place because he had a set of clothes here. Chapter four of Tom Sawyer, self-portraits.”

            “Malcom X.”

            “Last night?”

            “We cooked for ourselves, fish. I went out to get flowers.” Bucky scratched his head.

            “I turned in early, because I thought I was getting sick.” Steve swallowed.

            “You looked sick this morning.” Nat commented.

            “No, it was just allergies… shit.” Steve groaned.

            “What?” Bucky frowned. “Oh… shit.”

            “What?” Fury demanded.

            “We went during our lunch period to get allergy medication for me.” Steve winced.

            “We were acting a little couple-y.” Bucky admitted.

            “Where did you go?” Nat asked.

            “The Walgreens a few blocks away from campus.”

            “Cashier? Describe her.”

            “How’d you know it was a ‘her’?” Bucky frowned at him.

            “Because the only GAW DAMNED PARENT WHO WORKS THERE IS A WOMAN. HOW COULD YOU TWO BE SO STUPID?” Fury yelled.

            “We thought we were clear!” Steve swore.

            “Now that you say that I recognized her from Greenback night.” Bucky groaned.

            Fury’s cellphone rang and he answered it with a sharp “What?”

            Steve put his face into his hands. “Stupid.”

            “You guys didn’t know.” Nat hushed.

            While Steve took solace in Nat’s comfort, he still felt as if he should see it coming. Everything in his life came with a price. Everything, even being with Bucky.

            “So yup, it was her.” Fury hung up and looked like he wanted to throw the phone at the wall.

            “What do we do?” Bucky swallowed.

            “You two are taking the day off tomorrow, I’m calling in subs. As soon as dumb and dumber give me that flash drive and a report I will pull some strings.”

            “That’s good.”

            “Yeah, it’s wonderful, it’s just we won’t be able to get Pierce on all of it.” Fury sighed angrily and shoved his phone in his pocket. “Damn it.” He swore and punched Steve’s wall as he was going out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and join the fun on Tumblr [HERE](thecatholicfangirl.tumblr.com)
> 
> And if you're into Supernatural check out this Chapter Fic I wrote [HERE.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3639348)


	8. Lazy Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: No prompt, I decided that this chapter is something I wanted to write without a prompt.

Steve woke up to Bucky’s all seeing blue eyes blinking at him. “That’s creepy.” Steve muttered and stretched. “Why’re you starin’?”

            Bucky shrugged and traced his fingertips over Steve’s hairline. “What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?”

            Steve groaned and scooted closer to Bucky. “Hmmm, I’d be writing comic books.”

            Bucky smiled. “Really?”

            He shrugged and yawned. “It’s the only thing that’d make sense with my degrees. English and Art. Who does that? Me.”

            “What would you write about?”

            “Hmm… I’d write about a superhero.”

            “What’s his name?”

            “Don’t be sexist, her name would be… Captain Earth.”

            “Captain Earth? Ha, okay… what would be her super powers?”

            “Mmm, super strength, she could fly, she can speak a thousand and one languages.”

            “A thousand and one, really? Why not like a thousand and two?”

            “Because she’s working on that one. It’s a bit difficult because no one can read or speak the language anymore.”

            Bucky laughed.

            “She’d fly around the word correcting the injustice of the world, and she’d be friendly. Really kind. Her side-kick would be… Bucky Bear.”

            “Oh my gawd, don’t start.”

            “Bucky Bear would be invincible, and he can run really fast. He was only seventeen when he met her. She saved his life.”

            “How did she do that?”

            “He got caught at this evil school, where they were going to make Bucky turn ‘normal'. She couldn’t have that so she broke out a bunch of kids from the school. Bucky was the only one who felt the need to help her. They’ve been best friends ever since.”

            “Y’know this Captain Earth is starting to sound a lot like Natasha.”

            “Yeah, it still needs work, I guess.”

            Bucky laughed and kissed Steve softly on the lips.

            “What about you? What would you do?”

            Bucky pulled back and shrugged. “Don’t know, I’d probably see if the army could take me back. But after getting an honorable discharge for my arm, I don’t think… I don’t think they’d want me.”

            Steve hummed. “You could come write with me. We could write historical fiction.”

            “There are few things in this world I despise, and historical fiction is one of them.”

            Steve laughed. “Fine, fine, we can write theoretical historical documents.”

            “Good.”

            “They’d just be listed under historical fiction.”

            “Great.” Bucky deadpanned and sighed. “Y’know, I haven’t thanked you, for y’know sticking by me this year. After Sister Diana, and everything else.”

            “You don’t need to thank me. I wanted to. I love you, so I wanted to.”

            Bucky beamed at him. “How did I get so lucky?”

            “How did I get so lucky?”

            Bucky shifted and moved on top of Steve. “No, no, no, you don’t get to play that game.”

            “What game?” Steve asked innocently with mischief in his eyes.

            Bucky bent down and pressed kissed into his neck and jawline. “C’mon, breakfast time.”

            “Nooo, cuddling and sleeping in.”

            “I’ve been up since five, no more sleeping in.” Bucky said getting out of bed and finding a pair of sweatpants.

            “Cuddling though?”

            “Possible.”

            “Why were you up so early?” Steve asked following him to the kitchen.

            Bucky shrugged. “No reason.”

            Steve paused and then chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Are you nervous about school?”

            Bucky pursed his lips and shrugged again.

            “Because I’m nervous too, but Fury said that it’d be okay. And… I can’t just go on blind faith but what Pierce is doing is illegal and he’s going to get hit.”

            Bucky nodded again and sighed. “Just… what if we really do lose our jobs over this?”

            Steve shifted. “What do you mean ‘this’?”

            “What if we lose our jobs, what are we going to do?”

            “We’d figure it out.” Steve shrugged. “If you want.”

            “I just… I’m at the point in my life that I’m ready to settle down. I’m ready to feel comfortable in my position, and there are things slowing me down.”

            “Like what?”

            “Like Pierce and stressing me the fuck out. The new standardized test is making the kids’ future depend on one test for their entire lives. Damn, I mean not even college was that mean. Well, one of my professors was, but he was dying of boredom. Being a physics teacher too, he must’ve gone off the deep end.”

            “And me?”

            “You? You haven’t gone off the deep end…. Wait… have you?”

            “No, like… am I stressing you out?”

            Bucky spun to him. “No! Why would you think that?”

            Steve shrugged. “Just something that you said.”

            “What did I say?”

            “That you don’t want to get fired over ‘this’.” Steve gestured to himself and Bucky.

            “When did I say that?”

            “A couple of minutes ago.”

            “Oh, no… I meant… shit I’m sorry. I meant I didn’t want to get fired over a homophobic principal knowing that we’re dating.”

            “I’m sorry. I guess, I’m just really defensive.”

            “It’s okay, gah… I didn’t even… maybe I should listen to myself before I speak.”

            Steve smiled. “We’ll be okay?”

            “Of course we will.”

 

* * *

 

Nat came around later on that day and brought the news. “Fury has given all of his information to his inside source. Which was two flash drives filled with audio recordings of him committing all kind s of stuff.  Pocketing money, not following through on punishments, threatening kids. A recording from yesterday, a phone call to someone about sending Steve home yesterday. Also Darcy and Loki compiled a report, and with all the other teachers reports… it’s not looking good for Peirce.”

            “What did he say yesterday?” Steve frowned.

            “Well, Fury didn’t tell me much, but it’s apparently him talking about how he wants to get rid of you.” She pointed at Steve.

            “Me? Why me?”

            “The parents really want Mrs. D back. That isn’t going to happen, but Pierce gave the PTA the assumption that if they paid him enough, he’d be able to pull some strings.”

            “Now what do we do?” Steve asked.

            “Now we wait.” Nat shrugged.

            “For?”

            “For the ax to chop Pierce’s dick off.” Nat snapped at Bucky, she then softened. “It’s almost over.”

            “And with just a few weeks left of school.” Bucky groaned.

            “Timing isn’t an ally here, granted, but it can be.” Nat crossed her arms. “With the test scores probably not going to be impressive, Pierce is going to get the boot, and all will be well.”

            “Still, our school isn’t going to be in a good place. Low test scores, rowdy kids…” Bucky admitted.

            “Well, that’s why Fury is going to be placed as interim principal.”

            “Thank God.” Bucky groaned.

            “Yes, so you guys can come back Monday.”

            “How was school today?” Steve asked.

            “It could’ve been worse.” Nat sighed. “The other teachers are the worst at gossip. There was rumors going around that you two were in a car accident. Then that James’ mother came into town, and Steve found out that it was his mom too… just… stupid. It’s almost as stupid as the rumor of Sam having a heart attack, falling off the stage and breaking his neck.”

            “What?” Steve laughed.

            “It was stupid, because Sam hadn’t even gone to the theater department that day. He’s a coach.” Nat scoffed and laughed. “Though at the end of the day, the kids said that Sam was in a coma. Sam thought that was funny and dressed as a hospital patient for Halloween that year.”

            Bucky straightened.

            “What?” Nat asked.

            “You know what.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

            “No I don’t. I better be going. Grading to do.”

            “Mhmm. Tell Sam I said hi.” Bucky said walking her out.

            “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nat said over her shoulder and was out of sight.

            Steve frowned at Bucky. “What’s going on?”

            “She has a crush on Sam.” He grinned and closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to start wrapping this story up. I've had so much fun writing it! I hope I can write more in the future in this verse. But for now, between work, school, and my psudo-internship I've been so busy that I can hardly find the time to write all these things. This weekend I got lucky enough to just sit back and relax. Thank you guys! You've been great.
> 
> Come and join the fun on Tumblr [HERE](thecatholicfangirl.tumblr.com)
> 
> And if you're into Supernatural check out this Chapter Fic I wrote [HERE.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3639348)


	9. Fire Drill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt: Describe a time when quitting was the right decision, even though it hurt your pride.**
> 
> **Prompt: Write 12 lines of dialogue spoken at the end of a long day.**
> 
> Dedicated to Veronica.

With a week to go before testing, everyone was starting to lose their steam. Steve felt the kids want to scratch his eyes out when he said that they needed to do another short novel, _Lord of the Flies_. Steve figured that if they’d just get half way through the book before summer, some of the kids might visit a library or a bookstore. Hell, maybe the kids would surprise their parents by saying they wanted to read _Lord of the Flies_ for fun. Probably wouldn’t happen, but Steve was hopeful.

            Nat had the kids play games she knew they enjoyed. Games like capture the flag, and obstacle courses that required them to just go crazy. There was also plenty of punching bags hung up around the gym for the kids with anger problems, and Dr. Banner, could punch. Sam lead a running team every morning filled with teachers and students. Steve joined him, and Sam was starting to get angry at how much faster Steve ran than Sam. “Sure! You can sprint! But do you have _ENDURANCE_ , Rogers? I don’t think so!” Sam shouted to him, but that was before he and Steve ran twenty miles one Saturday. Sam could barely make it past ten. Steve hit twenty, ran back, and jogged with Sam the last ten.

            The history test was first this year, which made Bucky extremely happy and nervous at the same time. “What if they’re not in the testing mood that day? And the test’s gonna be on a Monday, who wants to take a test on a Monday? This does mean though, that they’d have all the info fresh in their heads.” Bucky would chatter during dinner with Steve and Nat.

            Becca had also called in a couple of times, as per Steve’s request to calm Bucky down. She had also revealed that she was pregnant again. The baby was going to be due in August. Bucky was so thrilled about being an uncle again that it distracted him from the upcoming test for half an hour.

            Two of the new history teachers, Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson, were somewhat new and were excited about jumping into the mayhem. Mr. Murdock’s nurse also joined the team. She was also Nelson’s girlfriend, or so Steve thought, the way that Ms. Page was with the two of them made Steve confused. They fixed emergency test bags. In them was a handful of peppermints, lemon-drops, band aids, pencils, and a little card inside of them in the shape of pants. Taped to those pants was a Smarties roll of candy and a note that said “You’re a Smartie pants!”

            Steve was pretty sure it was Ms. Page’s idea because Nelson and Murdock looked less than likely to come up with something that corny.

            During one of Steve’s art classes, he found himself grinning at the kids like an idiot. They were finger painting, and it was more than messy, it was chaos. Glitter glued to Timmy’s hair in bright streaks. A smear of hot pink was on Mary’s forehead when she tried to brush away her hair from her face. The kids looked happy and content.

            Until the fire alarm rang, that is.

            Some of the kids screamed and another knocked over a jar of paint. Steve heard Bucky next door step outside and yell something, but it was muffled by the rings. “Okay, it’s just a test kids, let’s go.” He motioned with his hands to move out the door.

            Bucky had already vacated his classroom, and was retrieving his clipboard of his class roll. Steve smiled at him, but Bucky was scowling.

            Steve frowned and Bucky shook his head. Steve took this to mean ‘don’t.’

            Once everyone had gotten outside, Bucky marched to Steve. “Can you check my roll?” he asked.

            “Uh… sure?” Steve frowned and allowed Bucky to shove the roll sheet into his hands. He knew some of the kids on Bucky’s roll, but the others he had to call out. Other than that, it was a simple task. All but two kids were accounted for, and the quiet mousy boy told Steve that neither of the kids had shown up to any of their classes that day.

            The kids talked and Steve watched over them. He had help from Mr. Nelson, a plump handsome man with a wide grin, and Ms. Page, a thin blonde woman who looked like she wore her heart on her sleeve. Mr. Murdock apologized for not being of much use due to his blindness, but Ms. Page shushed him.

            Steve checked his watch. The drill was cutting into some serious class time, class time that needed to be used preparing for the upcoming tests. “Hey,” he called to Nelson. “Was it a fire drill? I don’t remember one being announced.”

            Nelson shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t hear about one. Matt and or Karen?”

            Murdock shook his head. “No.”

            “I rarely read your emails.” She shrugged to Nelson.

            Nat sprinted to Steve. “Hey, where’s Mr. Barnes?”

            Steve shrugged. “He looked pretty angry about something, and he gave me his class to watch over. It’s fine though.”

            Nat nodded once. “No one’s seen him.”

            Steve’s heart stopped. “I just saw him, no more than twenty minutes ago.”

            She nodded once again. “Everyone is here on both of your rolls?”

            Steve nodded then paused. “Wait, there was two kids. But ah…” Steve looked behind him and saw the mousy kid. “This guy here… hey c’mere.”

            Nat forced a smile at the kid. “Pat, hey!”

            “Is this about Brady and John?” he asked with wide eyes.

            Nat nodded. “Yeah, do you know where they are?”

            Pat shoved his hands in his pockets and looked back. Steve followed his gaze and saw that a group of kids were watching them. “Nelson!” Steve called and nodded at the group of kids.

            Thankfully, he got the message. “Alright kids! What are the first Ten Amendments?” he shouted to them as Karen Page started to rifle through her bag for the test goody bags.

            Pat seemed more at ease with the group of kids distracted and he answered Nat. “They said yesterday that they were going to skip school. But they came to school and didn’t go to their first three classes.”

            “No one would’ve stopped them. Practically no one watches the halls.” Steve told Nat.

            She nodded. “And Brady and John, are they…”

            “They’re not good kids. They give me swirlies in the bathroom.” Pat shook his head.

            Murdock, who was close enough to hear the story, smiled at Nat and Steve. “How about you guys go take this information to Dean Fury?”

            Steve awkwardly patted Murdock on the shoulder and began to search for Fury. They found him shouting into a walkie-talkie and choosing his words very carefully. “Who in the… name of all that is good pulled the fire alarm?” he shouted. Static came out of the device and a voice said “ _Two boys, rough housing._ ”

            “Well, find them or so help me I will find…” he cut off his sentence there, knowing he couldn’t finish it with the kids milling around. “What?” he hissed.

            “James left Steve to take care of his class, this was twenty minutes ago.” Nat stated.

            “Why the hell are you telling me? Doesn’t Barnes have a cell phone?” Fury snapped.

            “Sir, he left his class twenty minutes ago to look for two boys.” She stated through gritted teeth.

            Fury hummed angrily. Steve didn’t know that was possible, but here Fury was humming angrily. “Of course he did, of course this mother… window tint decided to go and find the idiots who pulled the fire alarm.”

            “How do you know they pulled the fire alarm?” Steve asked.

            “I’m psychic, Rogers.” Fury scoffed and crossed his arms. “Which direction did Barnes go?”

            “I thought you said you were psychic.”

            “For the love of GOD, Rogers, before I wring your little white neck in front of the children. Tell me. Which. Direction. Did. Barnes. Go?”

            Steve thought and looked towards the football fields.

            Fury pulled out his walkie. “Check the football field and surrounding areas.”

            “I was just there.” Nat said and sprinted off towards the field.

* * *

 

They had found Bucky holding two boys arms, and looking angry. “Keep hitting me, go ahead. I was trained as a freaking marine, boys. I love pain.” He hissed at them as they pounded their little fists into Bucky’s stomach.

            Nat was the one to start yelling at him. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

            “Because I had no time. If I had told you, they’d gotten away.” He snapped at her.

            “James, this is literally public school not a mission!” She snapped.

            The police officer, Officer Starlord to the kids, got both of them in handcuffs, and led them away.

            “Now, would you mind telling me which brain cell of yours decided to give you the idea to track down those kids without telling us?” Fury demanded.

            Bucky looked down embarrassed.

            “I’m only asking, because I need to know which one of the two brain cells you got left I need to fry!” Fury yelled at him.

            Peirce waltzed up. “Did you apprehend those two boys?”

            Bucky looked to Fury.

            “Ah, no! Look at me. Did you apprehend those two boys?” he asked with a pointed finger in Bucky’s face.

            “Yes, sir.” Bucky grunted.

            “I have no choice but to suspend you, Mr. Barnes.”

            “On what grounds?” Fury demanded.

            “On the grounds of inappropriate behavior. Using force on children.”

            “They were the ones that pulled the fire alarm, they also had fire crackers in their pockets.” Bucky explained.

            “It doesn’t matter! Pack your things, I want you off of this campus, effective immediately.”

            “Sir, with all due respect…” Nat started.

            He held up his hand to her. “Don’t say a word. I’ve already decided.”

            Nat’s gaze turned from agreeable to ‘I’m going to kill this fucker with a paperclip.’

            “By the way, Coach Romanoff, when you start a sentence with ‘all due respect.’ It means that you don’t mean respect at all. So go back to the gym or the kitchen, whichever place your gender prefers now.” Pierce said condescendingly.

            If it were possible to make Natasha look even angrier, Pierce just said the magic words. She whispered something in Russian, Bucky snorted, and Pierce narrowed his eyes at Bucky. “You have twenty minutes to collect your things.”

            “He got the kids who pulled the fire alarm though.” Steve choked.

            “I have made it more than clear that I’ve decided on the matter. Mr. Barnes go pack your things, you are suspended for a week.”

            “A _week_?”

            “If you have any problems take it up with Main Office, you would need to go there anyways to fill out a report on the day’s events.” Pierce insisted.

            “I’ll help you pack.” Steve muttered.

* * *

 

Nelson and Murdock had combined their classes with Bucky’s classes. Steve was pretty impressed by their teamwork to keep it all together.

            During lunch, Steve invited them to their lunch group. Half-way through Wade gawking over Karen, Steve went to see Fury.

            “Hey.” He said as he knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

            “Don’t see why not.” Fury’s answer was.

            Steve sat down.

            “Good lunch break, Rogers?” he asked while spooning some soup into his mouth.

            “I’ve had better.”

            Fury hummed.

            “So, ah… what’s the deal with Pierce, like I don’t see…?”

            “You don’t see how a dumbass cracker like him got into power over me?” Fury asked eyebrow arched and began to sort papers.

            “Well… I was told that it had to do with your… race?” Steve tried anxiously.

            “What dumbass told you that?” Fury asked stopping his work and looking up at Steve. “Barnes, Barnes told you?”

            Steve smiled.

            “How’d I guess?” He asked rhetorically and wiped his mouth on a napkin. “He wasn’t wrong. My race did not play to my advantage, unfortunately, to many Americans this is the case. Pierce was Vice Principal at the high school, and it was between him and another guy as VP’s. The principal was going to retire, and it was going to between him and the other guy. Because the powers that be see Pierce as a dumbass, they gave him this school, and demoted me.”

            “The other guy?”

            “Current principal at Shield High School. They did that so Pierce wouldn’t complain, and bring a whole fucked up mess to the table.”

            “So they just demoted you, just like that?” Steve asked gaping.

            “Well, it was wrong time wrong place. I got into my car accident, the parents started rumors.”

            “Didn’t you fight it?” Steve asked

            Fury paused and sighed. “Sometimes… even if you don’t like it, you gotta quit. Even when it hurts your pride. If I fought it, I would’ve won, yes. But at what cost? I’d be seen as an angry ruthless gang member running a school. I like the angry and ruthless look. Makes me look slimmer, but _gang member_?” Fury shook his head and paused again. “My granddad was an elevator operator, he carried a gun in his lunch box. When people asked for his money, he’d calmly open his lunch box, and show them his gun. He never got robbed. Until five years ago, he was walking home, and these guys just…” Fury trailed off and shook his head. “No, I would never disrespect my granddad like that.

            “Those people out there calling themselves gang members… they don’t know. Back when my granddad was a kid, it was white folk who were in gangs. They respected the crap out of each other though. None of this stupid Crypt and Blood nonsense. Misguided dumbasses.” Fury picked up his bowl and swallowed the last of his now cold soup in one gulp.

            Steve smiled softly.

            The lunch bell rang, and as Steve got up and thanked Fury.

* * *

 

Bucky went home, put his phone on silent, and took a nap. He wasn’t a complete idiot though, he texted Steve telling him to meet him at his house and they’d do something couple-y together. Napping wasn’t helping though, he was tense and frustrated by the events that had transpired earlier. He got up, put on his sneakers, and threw on a grubby shirt and shorts and went on a run around the neighborhood.

            It was about two hours later when he got home, feeling less stressed and frustrated. He jumped into the shower and sang cheesy love songs loudly and off key while shampooing his hair. By the time he stepped out of his shower, he was relaxed, and feeling a little better.

            He went for his phone but felt his stomach gurgle. He shrugged and walked to the kitchen and pulled together an awesome sandwich. He sat down in front of the TV and watched reruns of Supernatural.  Finally, around two he got up and wondered if Steve had texted back.

            Turning on his phone he saw thirty missed calls, nearly forty texts, and two dozen voicemails. Two of the texts were from Steve. But the other thirty eight texts, twenty four voicemails, and thirty missed calls were from Becca.

            “What the shit…” he dialed her number, his heart hammering.

            Becca answered on the third ring. “ _Hello?_ ” she sounded frightened.

            “Becky, what’s going on? Are you okay? What about the baby?”

            Becca was quiet for a long time, and it took Bucky a moment to realize that she was sobbing. “ _Oh my GOD, James! Sorry sister._ ”

            “What?”

            “ _I thought something had happened to you, and no one was picking up the phone!_ ” She screamed into the phone.

            “What do you mean? I’m fine! Are you okay?”

            “ _What the hell happened today?_ ”

            “Ah… nothing?”

            “ _Why’d I get a phone call from your school?_ ”

            “You did what now?”

            “ _Your principal called me, and I missed his phone call. He said that an incident had happened today, and you were involved._ ”

            “What?”

            “ _The way he phrased it…_ ” She sobbed loudly and Bucky sat down heavily. “ _The way he phrased it, made me think that… made me think that my kids didn’t have an uncle anymore._ ”

            “Oh my God, Becky, I’m so sorry.”

            She was sobbing openly into the phone. “ _What happened? Are you okay?_ ”

            “I’m fine, we had two kids pull a fire alarm, and I caught them before they did any more damage to the school. The principal decided to punish me for it.”

            “ _Principal Prick?_ ” she sniffled.

            “Yeah.”

            “ _That bastard. I thought… and he hasn’t returned any of my calls… I thought something…_ ”

            Bucky closed his eyes trying not to cry. “C’mon, Becky, you know me better than that. I’d make sure whatever I do to get myself killed is televised and a priest is present.”

            “ _That is something that you don’t joke about, James. Especially to your very pregnant sister who just spent the past four hours wondering if you were alive. Because you wouldn’t pick up your phone!_ ”

            “You’re right. Sorry, I was upset.”

            “ _You better be. You’ll be okay?_ ”

            “Yeah, will you be okay?”

            “ _Ugh… no, but when have I ever been okay?_ ”

            Bucky smiled and made kissing noises. “Love you, sis.”

            “ _Love you, bro. Hey, why did your principal call me? Is it a new policy I’m not aware of?_ ”

            “Uh… no. I don’t know why he called you, honest. It’s totally inappropriate though.”

            “ _Did one of the kids hit you?_ ”

            “Yeah, but it was like being pelted by feathers their punches were so weak.”

            “ _Did_ you _hit one of the kids?_ ”

            “No. Never.”

            Becca took a large breath in. “ _Well, I think I’ve expended my crying spells for at least a week now._ ”

            “Is that good?”

            “ _Heh, for Tom it is. He barely survived my first mood swing when I was pregnant with Rylee._ ”

            Bucky laughed and sighed. “I’m really sorry, Becca.”

            “ _You should really say sorry to these poor nuns I’ve given a heart attack to. I’m pretty sure Sister Louise is laying prostrate praying for your soul._ ”

            Bucky laughed. “Doesn’t she have that bad hip? And an oxygen tank?”

            “ _Pffft, have you tried to stop Sister Louise from doing something? She’d sooner beat you with her cane._ ” Becca sighed and paused. “ _I guess I better tell them that you’re not dead yet._ ”

            “Please, I can just see Sister Jamie and Sister Mattie arguing over the floral arrangements.”

            “ _Sad thing about that joke is it’s probably true. I love you, James._ ”

            “I love you, Rebecca.”

* * *

 

“Hey, long day, huh, babe?” Steve asked settling in next to Bucky.

            Bucky nodded and sighed. “I can’t believe he sent me home today.”

            “Hey, Fury says that this is a good sign he’s getting twitchy.” Steve soothed.

            “He called Becca.”

            “What?”

            “Yeah, he called Becca and said that there was a problem at school. He left a fucking voice message, and Becca assumed the worst and…” Bucky shook his head.

            “What did she think happen?”

            “School shoot out. I was caught in the crossfire. Who knows, but she’s pregnant again, and… damn it.”

            “It’ll be okay.”

            Bucky nodded and closed his eyes tight. “She doesn’t need to have a panic attack now.” He whispered.

            Steve ran a hand over Bucky’s arm. “It’ll be okay.”

            “It doesn’t seem like it will."

               

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the first prompt, in case you missed it was Fury telling Steve that he gave up his position instead of fighting it. Because yeah, he would've won, but at what cost? Second prompt was the last twelve lines between Bucky and Steve. I didn't want it too long because I know the two of them could talk FOREVER. 
> 
> I'm currently working on a fic idea with Daredevil and Captain America (Obviously from this chapter). Not sure what exactly it'll entail but, I'm thinking the good old fashioned plot line "Trial of the Winter Soldier" is a good line of direction.


	10. Not Helpful Little Lies, Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A scene in which a character recognizes s/he’s being lied to.

Coulson stepped up to the microphone and smiled. “I would like to thank everyone for coming out today.” He sniffed and glanced at the covered statue. “I… just thank you. As most of you may or may not know my friend Melinda May, worked at CPS. One day she responded to a local convent who found a baby on their doorstep. The child must’ve been out in the cold for at least eight to ten hours. When Ms. May picked her up… she was surprised to see that she was still alive. That she…” Coulson paused and looked away, crying. “That she had some fight in her. Once I got her in my arms. I couldn’t let her go. I adopted her as soon as I could. Skye was such a beautiful baby, and became an astoundingly beautiful young woman.

            “She loved her little sister Melody. She loved her step-mother. She loved this school. She was the computer teacher here with Mr. Stark, and I remember one day I stopped by to see the two of them debating about processors. I had this stupid smile on my face, and no Stark, it wasn’t because of you.”

            “That’s what you say.” Tony scoffed eyebrow raised.

            Few people politely laughed.

            “She was wicked smart, and brighter than me. She… was… the first love of my life, she was my first daughter. It is an honor that her friends here had decided to put up this statue of her… to give the students of the future inspiration.”

            People clapped lightly.

            Tony stepped up.

            Bucky rolled his eyes and nudged Steve with his shoulder. Steve wiped his eyes and looked at him. “Here we go…”

            “So because the school was _low on funds_ I decided to pitch in a couple of thousand dollars. I think it turned out great.” Tony shrugged and scratched his forehead. “But you guys don’t get to see it yet.”

            Another handful of people laughed.

            “Instead, you’ll see it after Coulson’s band plays, and FitzSimmons speaks. So. Here.” He nodded to two people in the front.

            Standing they walked to the podium almost as if they were joined at the hip. “Hello, my name is Dr. Leo Fitz.” The boy with the curly hair said looking down.

            “And I am Dr. Jemma Simmons. We met Skye in college, Fitz was studying computers.”

            “Simmons was studying human bodily things.”

            “Biology, Fitz.” She chastised.

            He blushed. “Skye was always friendly and kind. She was our best friend, as much as I hope we were hers.”

            “When we graduated, Skye found a job here, and the two of us were just wandering around. Quite silly really, both of us had doctorate degrees. You would assume that people would be looking for that, but quite the contrary in today’s job market.”

            “Skye was the first to go to Fury, when he was principal, and ask to give the two of us jobs.”

            “Against Fury’s better judgement, as we both say…” Simmons started while Fitz nodded making the audience laugh. “He gave us a job. Fitz at the IT department to make sure Stark didn’t burn the place down. He has been successful thus far. We don’t count the Ultron incident, because Ms. Pepper claims it’s her fault for going on vacation.”

            “And Simmons as head nurse, making the kids feel better, and the like. It’s a very important job, she’s like a miracle worker.” Fitz stammered.

            Simmons smiled and took a breath. “None of this would be possible… not even Fitz and me…” she glanced at Fitz and gave a shaky sob. He gave her a watery smile. “We wouldn’t be planning the things we’re planning now if it weren’t for Skye.”

            “When she… when she was in the hospital, she worked on Stark’s lesson plans, even though we told her thousands of times that she didn’t need to.”

            “She wanted to. She thought it was important that kids learn and become passionate about the things they liked to do.”

             “We would like to thank Tony for all the trouble that he went through, and Mr. Coulson for assisting in the vision of her likeness. We would also like to thank Skye once more. Without her, I don’t know where I would be.”

            “Nor I.” Simmons said and squeezed Fitz’s hand.

            As they sat down Tony stood up and smiled. “Skye was one of my greatest not-interns. She was my partner. Not partner as in girlfriend, but partner as in… partner. The partner-girlfriend is reserved for Pepper. She, Skye that is, was such a nerd, and I thought it appropriate to ask Coulson’s class to play her favorite song. Not any of the Taylor Swift jumpy pop songs that belong in a rom-com, but this one.” Tony nodded to Coulson who was standing in front of his small but mighty orchestra. He raised his baton and swished the rhythm for the band to see.

            As the honors band played a less than perfect song from Harry Potter. Nat made her way to Steve and Bucky. “That face is the gossip face.” Bucky muttered to her.  What do you know?”

            She lifted an eyebrow and nodded to the front row. There was Principal Pierce in the front his legs crossed and hands folded over his lap. “He’s been causing so much grief with today’s ceremony. Claiming Skye wasn’t ever a true ‘teacher’, then trying to cancel the order for the statue. Tony’s had a field day for the past year and a half.”

            “Sounds like we might have something more for the file?” Bucky muttered to her.

            She nodded. “I invited him out for Shawarma after this.”

            “We’re in.” Bucky nodded.

            “When is your meeting with Head Office?” Nat frowned.

            “Tomorrow.” Bucky grumbled and palmed his eyes. “I have Murdock and Nelson going with me. They hired subs for me and them.”

            “Not the sandwiches or the type in the bedroom?” Nat grinned.

            “Whoa, inappropriate behavior on school grounds Coach Romanoff.” Bucky teased softly.

            Steve smiled. Bucky had gotten off of suspension in the nick of time to catch this ceremony. He went to the Head Office to ‘file a report’ like Pierce had instructed him to do. However, when he got there, the people were confused. “It sounds like you acted a little aggressively, but it was reasonable noting that the kids were trying to misbehave.” They told him and lifted his suspension. Bucky decided to then ask Nelson and Murdock to act as semi-lawyers, and try and sue Pierce for all the shit that he had put them through. They collected statements from teachers about the poor job that Pierce had been doing. It was overwhelming to read and reread the things his fellow teachers and collogues had gone through.

            The song finished, and Coulson was dragged by Tony to stand on either side of the statue. Principal Pierce stood next to them. “Today we commemorate an important person to this school. It is official, documented, and written that Skye Daisy Coulson, _adoptive_ daughter of Phil Coulson will continue to inspire students in the coming years via the statue donated by Tony Stark.” Pierce said ‘adoptive’ like someone would’ve said ‘disgusting’ or ‘gross.’ Coulson reacted by closing his eyes and tightening his jaw. It wasn’t missed that Pierce hadn’t mentioned that she was a teacher at school.

            “How did Skye…” Steve started to ask, but Nat shook her head furiously. Steve took this to mean ‘we’ll talk later.’

            The reception had sour punch and cake with pictures of Skye. One cake had her, Fitz and Simmons, their cheeks were smashed together and they were beaming into the camera. The other cake was Coulson and her posing for her graduation for college, Steve assumed. Coulson looked proud and she looked happy. That cake was the best tasting one to Steve.

            Bucky took a closer look at the statue. The inscription read:

 

> _“Skye Daisy Coulson. Born July 2, 1990. Died February 20, 2012. This statue was built to inspire students who have a thirst for knowledge. Donated by: Tony Stark.”_

 

            He frowned at the last sentence. He thought Stark would’ve been modest enough to not include his name on the statue. He thought wrong, obviously. The statue itself was of Skye’s likeness, from what Bucky could remember. He hardly saw the girl, only when some piece of tech had broken and Fitz was stretched thin. The polished bronze statue of Skye was slender build. She wore a plaid shirt with a knitted tank top. The statue had carved out a button-down, knitted tank top, and jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a clip with strands falling out. She had a pencil in her mouth, and was standing at a computer her fingers hovering over the keys. From the few times Bucky had met her, she would’ve hated being immortalized like this. It was too unheroic to her, too common. Bucky thought that this was her best side: The nerdy girl behind the computer, who could probably outsmart anyone who glanced her way.

            “Did she ever marry?” Steve asked him.

            Bucky shrugged. “I never saw her with anyone other than her dad, Stark, and FitzSimmons.”

            “She was pretty.” Steve remarked.

            Bucky smiled.

* * *

 

Shawarma was good, Steve found himself nodding off periodically from a full stomach.  “So… let’s cut to the chase. Huh?” Stark asked raising an eyebrow at Nat.

            Pepper shot her an apologetic look.

            “Yes, we should.” Nat sat straighter, she herself looked exhausted, but brightened when Stark spoke.

            “What do you want to know?” He asked pouring himself a glass of wine. He had to have at least four glasses, and he still wasn’t buzzed as far as Steve could tell.

            “I’ve heard you had some issues with this ceremony.” Nat said evenly.

            “Yup.” Tony nodded and tipped his glass back. When no one pressed him for more information. He continued. “I’ve wanted to put up Skye’s statue for a while now.” He started and sat forward. “She was a pain in the ass, but she was my pain in the ass, you know? So sue me, I wanted her to be remembered after her illness.

            “I had gotten permission from the PTA board to put up the statue. I pitched in about a thousand dollars.”

            “When was this?” Nat asked.

            “A year ago. I have the emails, the minutes from the PTA meeting, and the approval from the superintendent.” Pepper interrupted, but Tony didn’t seem phased.

            “Everything was going as planned. I was keeping it a secret as best as I could from Coulson. The Wonder Twins found out, the computer one hacked into my computer and found the previously mentioned emails. They wanted to pitch in too. Make the load easier for the Board, that way the left over funds would go to the kids. They’re nice like that.”

            “Again, this was about a year ago.” Pepper noted.

            “Then Fury got fired, and things started to go downhill. Peirce somehow caught wind of the whole thing, and decided to put his grubby little hands all over our business. He cut the funding from the Board, said that what I had done was against the decision of the Board.”

            “We gave him countless copies of the Board minutes, contacted the Board, you name it we did it.” Pepper sighed.

            “Peirce was nice to the Board’s face, but an ass to us. He took the money for the statue, including mine and FitzSimmons, and used it for a new _flag pole._ ”

            Bucky looked confused. “We don’t… we didn’t get a new flag pole this year?”

            “Yes, exactly. By flag pole I mean he took the money and spent it on himself.”

            “Are you kidding?” Steve gasped.

            “You bet your star spangled ass I’m being serious.” Stark shook his head.

            “We have the emails, both of us has written up detailed descriptions of the events.” Pepper produced a file.

            “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming our way.” Bucky frowned.

            “Well, I didn’t order any strippers, but the only thing I would think would make this case stronger is FitzSimmon’s point of view. They’re not coming forward because they’re scared.”

            “Of?” Bucky frowned.

            Stark rolled his eyes. “Barnes, if your case isn’t strong enough, and I’m not saying it isn’t…”

            “Pierce has the right to face his accusers.” Pepper answered.

            “Meaning… he’d know exactly who told what, who said what? If it falls against our favor, we would be getting a backwind of punishment. Starting with the ones that aren’t salaried or have tenure. Like FitzSimmons. But onto the more interesting stories.

            “When we figured out that he had stolen the money. I’m rich, a thousand dollars wasn’t anything to me, but to FitzSimmons… that was a month of rent they just lost. I couldn’t ask them for more. I decided to donate the whole thing. Skye deserved it.”

            Steve interrupted. “If you don’t mind me asking… how did Skye pass away?”

            “She contracted a disease from her no good son of a bitch boyfriend, Grant. Asshole didn’t even show up to her funeral.” Tony hissed savagely.

            “What…”

            “A rare form of tuberculosis.” Pepper answered her voice barely above a whisper. Her expression was stone cold; her jaw was set, her eyes calm and clear, and her mouth was turned down.

            “So, that’s how we did it. Of course Peirce tried to stop it half a dozen times. Claiming she wasn’t a teacher. She was. Claiming that she wasn’t even an American. She was. You knew he hit rock bottom when he said that she wasn’t Coulson’s real daughter. That was his latest. Made Coulson pissed.”

            “He was just trying to stop it. Why?”

            “To assert his dominance over things. To make a statement. Truth be told, it has gotten worse this past semester. I can only think of one thing that changed.” Stark hummed.

            “What?” Steve asked.

            “You.” He pointed and put his elbows on the table tucking them under his chest. “You are the only thing that has made…”

            “Whoa, hold your horses.” Bucky started to laugh

            “I believe that would actually be Mr. Loki you need to speak to about that.” Stark’s mouth twitched.

            “It hasn’t … Steve isn’t the reason.” Bucky scoffed.

            “Ah, sure. Let me just point out that the gay ban didn’t apply until after you two started to date. Don’t say that you aren’t. Peirce didn’t start sending people home more often until after you two started to date. In fact, things for the ceremony didn’t get stickier until after you came to the neighborhood, Mr. Rogers.”

            Steve’s jaw flexed. He wanted to reach over and grip Stark’s neck and watch his face turn blue. He restrained himself though, he was, after all, out in public.

            “You’re a scientist, right?” Nat asked while calmly stirring straw from her water.

            “I’d like to say I am.”

            “Then you know. That correlation isn’t causation.” She stated carefully as her eyes rose to his.

            Pepper smiled.

            Tony gaped at Pepper.

            “She’s right.” Pepper smirked shrugging in defense.

            “Because the truth of the matter is: it didn’t start getting worse until Fury started to make waves to get back to his old position.” Nat propped her elbows on the table still looking at Stark.

            “I like her.” Stark said to Pepper.

            Pepper rolled her eyes.

            “So, next time you try and pull that bull shit to try and figure out what else we have, why don’t you just ask nicely?” Nat hummed sipping on water.

            “I don’t do ‘nice.’” Tony made a sour face.

            “Asking then would be good start.”

            “Fine. What dirt do you guys have? Is it enough to boot the dickhead?”

            “We have him using school funds as personal funds. But all of those can be explained away. We don’t have a paper trail. We’ve looked everywhere, but Loki and Darcy might’ve missed it, or it got destroyed.” Bucky tugged on an ear.

            “With your paper trail, it’ll be enough for them to do an investigation, at least.” Nat added.

            Tony nodded and thought. “What else?”

            “We have a few accounts of teacher’s discrepancies with him.” Steve offered.

            “Teachers complaining ‘bout the crap he’s done, not enough.” Tony shook his head and reached for a forkful of noodles. “What else?”

            Bucky hummed. “Ah… nothing.”

            Stark smiled wanly. “Right. So. All we have is one case of him stealing money. A few _probable_ cases of him stealing the dough, and the majority is just bitchy teachers.”

            It sounded like it was enough in Steve’s mind before Stark opened his mouth. Now, it sounded like they had nothing.

            “It’s enough for them to investigate.” Bucky defended.

            “Sure. But if that investigation falls flat…”

            “It won’t.” Steve assured.

            “It could. Peirce and I are similar in the likeness of politics. Say Bill comes by to investigate. Now just a month ago, Bill and I went to this really nice dinner. I paid for it, with the money that I selfishly stole from the school. Bill is going to gloss over the fact that I may or may not have done some bad things.”

            “But if it is solid proof that he stole the statue funds…” Steve started.

            “Is it?” Stark frowned and sat back in his chair. “Two eyewitness accounts, they’re married, work together, and they’re rich. Are they just trying to squeeze out a couple of thousand dollars? Or are they looking to better the school they’re in? Usually with these politic types, they think that it’s the latter. What would help… is more evidence.”

            “We’re just looking to get Peirce out of here.” Bucky sighed and scratched his blunt nails through his hair.

            “Yeah, sure, let’s say Peirce goes away. What next? He’s a politician, you have to be in this business. He’ll find another job as a principal or worse… superintendent. Sure we can get him out of our school, but he’s going to end up at a different school and fuck that school up too. We need this to come out to be so bad, that he won’t be able to get a job for a very long time.” Stark smiled and motioned for the waiter. She came around. He handed her a card. “I’m paying for all of them.” He motioned around the table.

            “You don’t have to…” Steve insisted his cheeks red.

            “I do, the way you guys ate tonight makes me think you’re having some sort of money problems. The cake, though tasty, wasn’t filling.” He smiled at Pepper and offered her a hand up. As she collected her purse and straightened her dress. “Find more evidence. Find something that will make the money he stole look _minor_. Until then, you guys are not allowed to turn in that file.”

            “The meeting is tomorrow with Head Office.” Bucky stood quickly.

            “I’m sure that you’ll come up with something, _or_ you will get a second meeting with them.”

            “Still! Peirce has the right to face his accusers, and all those teachers that have gone against him…”

            “Don’t screw it up then.” Stark smiled and tapped the table. “I wish you guys the best of luck.” And followed the waitress with Pepper’s hand in his


	11. Truth Will Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Write about something that is true at first light, false by noon.

Tony’s heart was fine, thank goodness. His dad had died at a heart attack when he was Tony’s current age, but the doctor said everything was okay, so Tony went back to school. The light to one of the four computer labs that Tony was in charge of was on, and the door was wide open. Cautiously, Tony walked in, trying to make as much noise with his feet as possible. Fitz was sitting in one of the four computer labs they had and tapping away furiously at his iPad. He looked up. “Ah, Stark.” He scratched at his curls

            Tony fought a smile, Fitz, despite being nearly thirty, was pretty cute. He was taking very little space in this huge room, and looked deep in thought. Tony walked in a little more heading towards the teacher’s desk. “What’s going on?”

            “Not sure, I think it might be a software issue, the server isn’t connecting to the computers.” Fitz informed.

            Tony winced and groaned. “Have you taken a look at that frayed wire?” Tony sat his things down. Thinking of the frayed wire that they had put mounds of tape on to keep it still. Yet, students, when they walked over it a certain way, the whole thing would throw itself off. Tony had sent in for a work order form, and had received confirmation, but the electrician never showed. It’s not that Fitz and Tony _couldn’t_ do it. Just the electrician would have the cable to fix the wire, and Tony wasn’t in the mood to drop another hundred dollars.

            “I was kind of hoping it wasn’t the frayed wire. I was going to do some trouble shooting first.”

            Tony sat down and pressed his finger tips to his temple.

            “How was the doctors?” Fitz asked looking up at Tony with a hint of worry.

            “Good, they gave me a clean bill of health.”

            “You don’t seem too happy about it, Simmons could give you a second opinion.”

            Tony smiled dryly. “Thank you, I might take you up on that offer. Just… dad died of a heart attack when he was my age. Heart problems run in the family.”

            “Well, I’ll text Simmons. During lunch, maybe?”

            Tony smiled and turned on his computer to start troubleshooting himself. “My internet is working.”

            “I’m talking about the shared folders, and such. It just seems to be in this room…” Fitz cross the room and walked out. Within ten minutes he was back. “Yup, it’s just us.”

            “Ugh… sounds like it’s that frayed cable…” Tony groaned and clicked on his email.

            “Didn’t you put in that work order form?” Fitz squinted at him and pulled up a rollie chair. “I haven’t gotten any confirmation…”

            “Yeah, but we work at Shield middle school, where everyone and everything is late.” Tony sighed and paused. “Ah, look… email from Principal Pierce. Probably about…”

            Fitz blinked at him.

            “I have been summoned to the front office.” Tony said with a raised eyebrow. He stood and grabbed his phone. “I’ll be back. Keep troubleshooting the problem. If it’s not fixed by the time I get back, we’ll take a look at that stupid cable.”

            “You’re the boss.” Fitz said distractedly.

            Tony walked into the front office and beamed at Pepper. “Uh-oh.” She stood. “What’s going on?”

            Tony shook his head. “Nothing, my dear.”

            “No… don’t give me that. What did you do? Is everything alright?”

            “Yes, Principal Pierce has called me to the office.”

            Pepper blinked at him. “What did you do?”

            “Nothing! That I will admit to.”

            Pepper grinned. “Everything okay at the doctors?”

            “He gave me a clean bill of health.”

            “Good. We’ll celebrate tonight.”

            “By celebrating, do you mean a private party?”

            Pepper grinned. “Why don’t you wait and see?”

            “Ugh, such a tease.” He kissed her cheek and stepped past her, and walked into Pierce’s office. “Hello, sir, you wanted a word?”

            “Yes, if you don’t mind.” Pierce gestured to the guest chair and stood. He closed the door and sat back down.

            “What’s going on?” Tony asked.

            “Your little get together last week for Skye’s statue, was remarkable.”

            Tony paused. “Okay.”

            “Beautifully put together, I cannot believe you had only a week to work on this!”

            “I actually had a year and a half, sir.” Tony frowned and took a deep breath. “It would’ve been less than a year if our _funding_ didn’t disappear.”

            “Such a strange thing money is. Isn’t it?”

            Tony hummed and gave him a bitter smile. “Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Tony asked.

            “No, no…”

            “Is this about our busted cable in the computer lab?”

            “No. I’ve already put in that work order months ago. The funding on that one got approved, too. The electrician, I guess, never showed up. This meeting though, is about on the day of the ceremony, there was a car that was lost. The driver was asking the students for directions.”

            Tony felt confused by the whole situation, but responded: “Oh… did any of them get hurt?”

            “No, the man seemed to have good intentions, and he was really lost. The only thing that was concerning, is that he was asking only the children.”

            “Well… where was security?” Tony frowned and sat forward. “This sounds like a problem for them.”

            “The security guard was on lunch.”

            “Oh…”

            “I have brought this up because a few of the parents believe it’s your job to get to the bottom of this situation.”

            “Huh?”

            “Yes, and I agree.”

            “And I agree that cheap tie doesn’t go well with that suit, but I’m not going to make you do something that isn’t in your job description.”

            Pierce sighed and set his forearms on the table, lacing his fingers together. “Tony… may I call you Tony?”

            “You may call me Mr. Stark, Mr. Pierce.”

            “Right, keep it professional… I need you to make sure this gets done. After the job you did at the ceremony for whatever her name was… I need someone who will get this done.”

            Tony paused looking at Pierce. He tapped his fingers against the uncomfortable guest chair. He regarded Pierce and felt his blood pressure rising. “Couple of things…” He shook his head while laughing. “First off, I did that ceremony because I _wanted_ to. Secondly, this isn’t in my job description. Thirdly, you’re worried over a complaint from a stay at home mom who probably claims that vaccinations will give her mouth-breather autism. Even though autism and other developmental disabilities are most certainly NOT caused by vaccinations. Fourthly, I put in a request for a cable fix nine months ago. BECAUSE it’s in an area where the kids walk around a lot, and I just don’t want them to be electrocuted, go figure.” Tony stood up and adjusted his shirt.

            “Mr. Stark, please.” Pierce scoffed.

            “Finally, her name was Skye Daisy Coulson, and she hated you.” Tony spat and stormed out.

            He brushed his hand against Pepper’s shoulder, and walked out of the main office.

            Fitz was still in the computer lab. “Stark, I’ve done at least seven to ten troubleshooting. It’s gotta be the wire.” He said scratching his head.

            Tony sighed and scratched his ear.

            “How’d the meeting with Pierce go?”

            “Horribly. Don’t want to talk about it.”

            “Did we get the work order?”

            “No, Pierce said he put in the order, and the money came through, the electrician never showed up. What if we re-configured this system…?”

            “I thought you said…”

            “I know what I said, what if we reconfigured this system? What if we could replace the wire, and then work on making sure that wire won’t break again.”

            “We’d have to… storing the data would take at least a week at best. Thinking on how slow these computers are, and how fickle they can be…Next we’d have… we normally wait until summer to do this.”

            “I know. Let’s skip the data, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

            “Okay… ah… we have some of the older not so frayed cables in the back, stored. We could strip them, take the good wires out, and replace the outer tubing with some sort of rubber…”

            “Good idea!”

            “I was… I was being rhetorical, Stark.”

            “How long do we have until lunch?”

            Fitz checked his watch. “Ah… three hours.”

            “Good. Let’s get to it.” Tony said marching to the control panel and shutting off the power. “Go get those wires from storage.” Tony unbuttoned the wrists on his long sleeves and pushed them up to his elbows. “I’ll do the rest.”

            Simmons walked in to the darkened room and Fitz and Tony bending over a wire. “Well, ‘ello, what are you two up to?”

            Fitz looked up and beamed. “Stark is pissed off at Pierce, so we’re using the scrap wires together to create a wire that…”

            “It will make the systems run faster, and the kids won’t walk all over it. We’ll hang it off of the ceiling, and then after that we can put in a work order for more of these.” Stark nodded to the wire he was bent over.

            “Well, don’t electrocute yourselves.”

            “We won’t. We’re both grounded, and we shut off the power just in case.” Fitz smiled at her goofily.

            Simmons gave him the same goofy grin.

            “You two kids need a room?” Tony asked not glancing up.

            “Not necessary.” Simmons laughed lightly. “I’ll go get our lunches, shall I?” and with a swish of her ponytail she was gone.

            Simmons ran into Pepper in the Teacher’s Lounge. “Hey, have you seen Tony? He hasn’t answered my texts.”

            “Probably because he and Fitz are working nonstop on trying to fix that server issue. They’re rerouting the power from a bunch of stripped cables.” Simmons shrugged and walked to the fridge. “Either way, you know how our boys are.”

            “Without us, they would die quicker than a fish out of water?”

            “Unfortunately.” Simmons smiled and pulled out hers and Fitz’s lunch.

            Pepper grabbed hers and Tony’s lunch and they walked out with Simmons.

            “Tony seemed to be really focused when I saw him and Fitz in the lab.”

            “He and Pierce had a meeting.”

            “Oh?”

            “To discuss certain things. When I asked Pierce, he wouldn’t tell me anything. So, I’m honestly thinking of just turning in our resignation forms and be done with this school.” Pepper sighed.

            “Oh.” Simmons hummed attempting to sound indifferent. The truth was, that she would feel lonely without Pepper. Since Skye had passed, no girl really wanted to _talk_ with her. She would attempt to make friends, but it all fell short. Simmons felt like she was in high school all over again. She was stuck at the all-boys table. And any girls she tried to talk to would pause politely, and then move on. It was frustrating for Simmons. Fitz noticed this and did the best to comfort her. (His scratchy kisses on her cheek made any bad day good.)

            “Tony wouldn’t let me though. I don’t think I’d even let me. We both love this school, we love this school so much its stupid.” Pepper sighed and opened the door for Simmons. “And he and I just put in nearly five thousand dollars into this school.”

            “Five?”

            “I mean, compared to Tony’s other job, it’s nothing.” Pepper amended.

            “Right.”

            “But, damn, is that a lot of money. We wouldn’t just quit. I promise you. Tony would have to be sedated before he leaves this school.”

            “His loyalty is something to be celebrated.”

            “Out of your lips, and hopefully never to Tony’s ears.”

            Simmons laughed and approached the last door to see Fitz running. “Help!” he said grabbed Simmons’ hand and tugged her to the lab.

            Pepper ran right behind him, dropping the lunches.

            “We were attempting to start the power again, and…” Fitz started and brought Simmons to Tony’s lifeless body. “He got electrocuted.

            Simmons dropped to her knees. “Tony?” she tapped his face.

            “Oh my God.” Pepper whispered.

            “Nonresponsive.” Simmons stated and checked Tony’s pulse. “No pulse. How long ago?” she asked Fitz.

            “Five minutes, maybe less.”

            Simmons nodded. “Call nine-one-one.” She instructed to Fitz.

            “Is he going to be okay?” Pepper asked.

            “Not sure.” Simmons said and positioned her hands above Tony’s chest. She thought, briefly, that she was going to break one of her best friend’s ribcage. As it was necessary, so she started compressions.

            The ambulance was there within fifteen minutes. They loaded Tony, and informed Pepper where they were going. As soon as Pepper said that she would go and collect her purse from the office and Tony’s wallet from his car, she would meet them there.

            Fitz and Simmons blinked at each other and hugged.

            “Did he do it on purpose?” Simmons asked into Fitz’s shoulder.

            “He was falling as we were putting up the wire, his arm got caught…” Fitz whispered.

            Simmons nodded. “Does he have any computer classes today?”

            “Yeah, two of them. We’re going to teach them… ah… I don’t remember.”

            Simmons rubbed his back. “His lesson plans?”

            “He doesn’t have them.”

            “Of course. Well, do the best you can. We’ll go visit him after work.”

            Fitz smiled and hid his face in her shoulder and sobbed.

            Simmons, with tears running down her face soothed him.

 

* * *

 

Coulson caught wind of what had happened and helped Fitz teach the class he had off. Barnes came in and helped the other period. Barnes also was able to convince both of them to go early and give him and Steve an update on Stark’s condition.

            They were just about to leave when Fitz paused.

            “What?” Simmons asked.

            Barnes looked up. “I’ll be fine! I’ve dealt with worse rascals.” He teased the kids. “What does the _num lock_ key do? I could never figure that one out.” He grinned the kids laughed and continued on their typing game.

            “Stark said something about how we got the funding to fix the cable, but the electrician never showed.” Fitz said low enough so the kids wouldn’t hear.

            “Okay.”

            “ _If_ we did get the funding, it would pass by my desk… well tablet if you prefer. Of the invoice the electrician. I would then approve it, and send it to the front office.” Fitz explained.

            “Right, like how my assistant gets the invoices because it’s her job to make sure things get paid for.”

            “If there’s a discrepancy…”

            “She would tell me immediately.”

            “Right! I would do the same with Stark.”

            “Okay. So… where is this email? Maybe it was in the spam?”

            “No, because I never contacted an electrician. I never got the green light to call one. So how did we get the money to pay for one, when I the assistant never got a quote?”

            Barnes was looking at them curiously.

            “Maybe…” Simmons paused and put a hand to Fitz’s arm. “I’m trying to find holes in this, that’s all.”

            Fitz nodded. “It’s in my job description to handle the electrician things, if we need to call in repairs…”

            “It’s something.”

            “I would then give the invoice to the principal, and he or she would give me the correct sum of money…”

            “To pay the repair man.”

            “We need more proof.”

            “Is there something I can help you guys out with?” Barnes asked.

            Fitz paused but then looked up. “You were in a secret government thing, correct?”

            Barnes raised his eyebrows. “Depends on what you want to know is how I can answer that question.”

            “We need to get the number to Pierce’s bank account, and make it look like Pepper found it.” Fitz started and then looked at Simmons. “We’d also need to get a quote from an electrician so we know what we’re looking for.”

            “I’ll make the calls, while you two do that.” Simmons nodded dutifully and walked off.

            Barnes sighed and pulled out his phone. “Watch them for a sec.” and stepped outside.

            About five minutes later, Barnes and Coach Romanoff came in. “What can I do?” she asked Fitz.

            Fitz glanced at the kids, who were too absorbed in their video games, and explained the situation as best and as quietly as he could.

            Romanoff scratched her eyebrow. “This could be potentially illegal.” She whispered.

            “Please, I print not work stuff here all the time. I’m also the computer guy, I know literally every dirty secret every teacher has at this school. Pierce has used his computer for some not so innocent things in the past. It shouldn’t be too hard for him to ‘forget’ that he printed off his bank account statements, and then Pepper found them in the trash.”

            “Like… which ones do you know about me though?” Barnes asked.

            “I’ll tell you when I need to.”

            “That’s… great.”

            “Focus, James.” Romanoff hissed.

            “Can you do it?”

            Romanoff paused and checked her watch. “Give me twenty minutes.”

Fifteen minutes later she came back with a file folder and a jump drive. “PDF’s of his bank account statements going back two years.” She said holding up the jump drive and handed it to Fitz. She lifted the file folder. “Also, what you said about his dirty little secret?”

            “It’s downloading movies, like _Not another Happy Ending_ , sappy romance-y flicks.”

            “Well… it has progressed.” She nodded raising an eyebrow.

            Fitz cracked open the file. “Sweet Mother Immaculate.” He said and slapped it shut. “Are those real?”

            Romanoff smiled and nodded. “Copied on the jump drive too.”

            Bucky picked up the file and cracked it open. He shut it closed. “We need to shred this, because…”

            “I know.” Romanoff assured him. “I didn’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

            “I wouldn’t have.”

            “Holy shit.” Barnes breathed and handed the file to Romanoff. “Shred it.”

            “I am.” She said and walked to the shredder and pulled out the bank account statements before shredding the rest of the file.

 

* * *

 

Tony woke up with Pepper struggling to keep her head up. “What?” he croaked.

            Pepper shot up. “Nurse! He’s awake!” and turning to Tony she ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m here, I’m here. You’re okay.”

            “What happened?” Tony asked.

            “You got electrocuted.” Pepper laughed.

            “Oh, that’s all?”

            “No, dummy, you did a number on your heart.”

            “Oh… that’s all?”

            Pepper smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “That’s all.”

            The nurse checked his pulse and vitals. “He’s stable, for now. Let me go call the cardiologist.” And walked out.

            “They’re thinking that, you may have some problems later, but for now… you have to take it easy.”

            “What have I been doing?” Tony scoffed.

            “We gotta take care of your anxiety.” Pepper said and tugged on Tony’s fingers so she could play with them. “So…” 

            “Shh… can you just kiss me, and we’ll be done with it?”

            “We also have to get your liver…”

            “I know… shshh, I almost died today.”

            Pepper choked back a sob. “You did die today.”

            “Oh, well…”

            “Don’t you ever do that again to me.” She hissed.

            “I promise.”

            “I…”

            “I know.” Tony whispered and hummed when she kissed him. “So, we gotta look at the liver, the heart, the anxiety, the panic disorder…”

            She nodded and bit her lips. “Tomorrow.”

            “Good, we’ll look into that tomorrow.”

            Pepper smiled and enjoyed the rare quiet she had with Tony. “Hey, you were pretty upset today. What happened?”

            Tony groaned and rolled his shoulders the best he could without messing up his leads. “Ah, Pierce said that the electrician never showed to fix the wire, and then he wanted me to investigate some sort of weirdo asking kids for directions. Not my job description. All because a parent complained about it to him. I got it all on tape though. Another bit for the file.” He sighed.

            Pepper sighed. “Well… I think you should let Fitz and Simmons hear that file. It might help.”

            “With?”

            “You’ll never believe it.” Pepper smiled and kissed him again. “You getting electrocuted was possibly the best thing that has happened this year.”


	12. Threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What type of person makes a better leader— someone who is loved or someone who is feared?

During Steve’s conference period, he had a mouthful of cashews and chewing quickly while he graded papers. He smiled to himself as he heard Bucky’s classroom erupt in laughter next door. Bucky did something goofy, and Steve was going to hear about it later. Bucky had told him that they had uncovered something big about Peirce, but wouldn’t go into detail. “I promise you, I’ll tell you tonight.” Bucky had promised him that morning.

            _Bing._ His computer rang. Steve looked and saw an instant message. Opening thinking it was Bucky, he felt majorly disappointed to see it was Principal Pierce. “ _When is your conference period?_ ” he asked.

            Steve dusted his hands free of cashew dust, and typed. “ _Right now, sir._ ”

            “ _Good, come see me in my office, please._ ”

            “ _Yes, sir._ ” Steve wrote and stood. He considered sticking his head into Bucky’s room and mention that Pierce had just summoned him to his office. He decided against it. Bucky’s class was obviously on a roll, and with tests _next week_ and history being the first subject, they needed a good day. It wouldn’t be a good day if Bucky was worrying about Steve.

            Pepper was tapping away at her computer when he entered the front office. She had foregone the makeup, and the tight fitting business suit. Instead, she wore a loose fitting blue button down, Steve figured was Tony’s. She also wore tight fitting black yoga pants. Steve only noted this because Nat wore the exact same pants on cold mornings. She glanced at him and smiled. “Heya, Steve.” she cooed.

            “Hi, you and Tony doing alright?”

            “He’s fascinated by the science behind stints right now. I’m fascinated that I’ve been in a relationship this long with him and haven’t killed him yet.” Pepper grinned and stood.

            “When is he getting out?”

            “This afternoon, he has Jarvis picking him up, and I’ll meet him at home.”

            “Good.” Steve nodded empathetically. “You should take half a day.” He suggested.

            “Oh, I tried, I nearly went insane cleaning the house. It’s already clean, thanks to Jarvis. Besides, this is where I want to be right now. This is where Tony would want me to be.” Pepper hummed and tugged on her blonde ponytail to make it tighter. “What are you here for?”

            “Pierce called me in for a meeting.” Steve forced a grin.

            “Ugh, that man doesn’t tell me anything.” She grunted and reached for the phone. “Principal Pierce, Steve Rogers is here. Should I send him in?”

            She paused and nodded letting Steve pass her.

            Steve sat walked to the open office door that had Pierce’s name etched into it. He knocked lightly.

            “Mr. Rogers, come in.”

            Steve stepped in.

            “Close the door.”

            Steve felt anxious as he did, and he felt his shoulders tensing and prickling with pain. It was as if his body was getting ready for a fight.

            “Take a seat.”

            Steve swallowed and sat at the guest chair in front of Peirce’s desk. He was shuffling flies on his desk, and hadn’t looked at Steve. “It is my understanding that you and Peggy Carter were friends?” Peirce finally looked up at him.

            Steve felt his heart beat slow down, and then speed up. “Yes sir. Since uhm… middle school, I think.”

            “How nice.”

            “How do you know her?”

            “She was a college buddy of mine.”

            “Really? I don’t… she and I went to the same college. I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.”

            “Oh, you wouldn’t. We were study buddies in humanities.”

            Steve didn’t want to mention that they took humanities together, and were each other’s study buddies. “Oh.” He nodded.

            “Would you like to know why I brought her up?”

            “Please.” Steve nodded eagerly.

            “Before she passed away, she asked me something interesting. What type of person makes a better leader? Someone who is feared, or someone who is loved?”

            Steve swallowed a lump in his throat. “Oh?”

            “Do you wish to know her answer?”

            Steve thought about Peggy. She wished she was sitting next to him now. She would narrow her eyes at Peirce and say something bold. Something like: “Loved. Peggy would’ve said someone who is loved.” Steve blurted.

            Peirce raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

            “It just sounds like Peggy.” Steve shrugged and grinned remembering her strength. Strength he wished he had right now. “She was a spectacular woman.”

            “Hmmm.” Peirce stood and walked to a painting. He clasped his hands behind him and stared at it for a moment. Steve glanced at it and realized with a shock it was one of Peggy’s. Watercolor, made on soft paper. Peggy despised painting, and charcoal. She hated how messy they could get. However she loved pottery, splatter paint, tie dye, watercolor, and simple sketches. The painting in Pierce’s office was of a bouquet of flowers, she had sketched a slender body behind it in a grey dress.

            Steve remembered her painting that. They were arguing over what color the flowers should be. _“This one should be pink!” Steve giggled._

_“Pink? Are you daft? No… I’m going with… blue. Like your eyes.”_

_“I was thinking pink like your lips.”_

_“My lips are red, you color blind fool.”_

_Steve laughed and put a skinny chin on her shoulder, watching her paint._

            “She told me something different.” Peirce nodded sitting back down. “She told me that it was better that the leader be feared. However, the leader must have total control over each and every person under his control. Hitler, she cited, had a good leadership goals and ideas going. He fell short because…”

            “He made the wrong call, one time. He was a bad man, too.”

            Peirce gave him a sour grin. “Kim Jong-Un, has a great thing going.”

            “Is this why you brought me in here? To talk politics and history? Because Mr. Barnes would’ve preferred that instead of me.” Steve asked gripping the arms of the chairs.

            “The only thing…” Peirce ignored Steve. “The only thing that seems to be a problem with the leaders that are feared is there is always one or two persons that get ideas. Ideas can be dangerous.”

            Steve wanted to feel his fist connect with Peirce’s face.

            “It’s my understanding as well… that you and Captain Rumlow and you were close.” Peirce stopped in front of his desk pressing his fists into the table and leaning in so Steve could smell his foul breath.

            Suddenly, Steve felt a bucket of ice wash over him. His heart beat stuttered, and everything froze.

            “Captain Rumlow and I are drinking buddies. We met in college, too. In a P.E. class. He has some pretty interesting photos he likes to share with me. Photos of you in compromising positions.

            “I don’t know what Mr. Barnes thinks he has… but know this: I am the principal of this gawddamned school. The only reason why I would ever leave is because I’ve been transferred, and given a raise. I will set out to make your life a living hell. I will destroy your reputation in a matter of a few keystrokes.

            “The best part about this? You can’t do shit, because you’re a first year teacher. Who would take your word over a twenty year employee?” Peirce sat up straight. “But you know, if Mr. Barnes just forgot about it… swept it under the rug… maybe the district would allow you to keep your teaching license.”

            “Are you threatening me?”

            “I’m doing much more than that.” Peirce growled hungrily. He had a grin that made Steve want to retch. The bell rang. “Oh, look… class time.” He smiled and nodded at Steve. “It was a pleasure talking to you.” He walked to the door and opened it. “We should do it again some time.”

            Steve stood on noodles for legs and brushed past Peirce.

            Pepper smiled at him, but noticed something was wrong. “Steve?”

            Steve ignored her and kept walking. As soon as he was a good three feet from the office, he broke out into a run dodging kids with precision. “Whoa! Mr. Rogers! Slow it down, buddy!” Sam called after him.

            “Where’s the fire, Mr. Rogers?” Nat called after him then broke into a run right behind him.

            Steve reached Bucky’s room. “Mr. B… Barnes…” Steve stammered.

            Bucky was talking with a kid and he glanced up. “One se… what’s going on?”

            “You can’t… you can’t do it.” Steve shook his head and was confused at his breathing. He had outgrown his asthma a decade ago, why was his chest hurting? Maybe it was from the running?

            Bucky walked slowly up to him. “Can’t do what, Steve?”

            Steve shook his head. “You can’t he’s going to…”

            Nat leapt into view. “Kids, pack your things, we’re going to Mr. Roger’s room. Now.” She ordered.

            The kids were staring at Steve. Steve broke out into a cold sweat.

            “Kids! Now!” Nat yelled.

            All the kids scrambled to gather their scattered things and rush out the door. Nat nodded at Bucky and hit the front office button.

            “Hey, Mr. Barnes, how you doin’?” Darcy answered.

            “Darcy, it’s Romanoff, can we get Dr. Simmons down to Mr. Barnes’ room, please?”

            “Sure can do.”

            Bucky gave Nat a grateful smile and turned his attention back to Steve. “What’s going on, Steve?” he asked as soon as Nat walked into Steve’s room to govern two classes at the same time.

            “Peirce. He…” Steve reached for the buttons on his shirt but couldn’t get them through the holes. “He… threatened me.” He whispered harshly.

            Bucky’s eyes grew. “He did what?”

            “Rumlow… he… he took pictures… I didn’t… I swear I didn’t know.” Steve felt the world tilt and shrink.

            Simmons ran in. “Mr. Barnes, is everything… oh.” She put the wheelchair she had rushed over in park and closed the door.

            Bucky gave Simmons a glance and turned back to Steve. “What pictures does Rumlow have?”

            Steve winced and couldn’t look at Bucky. “I… swear… I didn’t know he took those photos.” Steve felt his legs give out and Bucky darted forward to catch him by the small of his back and Simmons helped Bucky lower Steve to the ground. “You… ha… have to believe me.” Steve sobbed.

            Bucky nodded. “Of course I do, Steve. Let’s see if we can get your breathing back to normal…” he said and held Steve’s head.

            “No, no…”

            “Steve, please, this isn’t good for you.”

            Simmons gently lifted Steve’s arm and checked his pulse. “Heart rate elevated.” She murmured.

            Steve whined.

            “Hey, hey, look at me. Look at me.” Bucky ordered Steve.

            “He had…. He had a picture…”

            “Rumlow has a picture, I know, we’re going to fix that.”

            “He… Peggy… she…” Steve panted again.

            “You’re getting yourself worked up over this, babe.” Bucky hummed and brought his knees up to let Steve recline on his legs. “Let’s focus on something else. Yeah? Remember when we had the whole day off? No kids, no papers to grade.”

            Steve closed his eyes and nodded. “Good… day.”

            “It was a damn good day.” Bucky grinned and stroked Steve’s cheek with his thumb. “Remember those grilled cheese sandwiches we made?”

            “Tomato…”

            Bucky nodded and reached for Steve’s neck, undoing some of the buttons on his shirt. “Tomato and three different kinds of cheese. I didn’t even know that was possible. Then we sat around and watched N.C.I.S. for the rest of the day.”

            Steve managed an open mouthed smile and nodded.

            “Listen, hey, focus on that day and let’s try and get your breathing back to normal. Inhale one, two, three, four… hold it one, two…” Bucky counted and Steve focused on his words. It took forever, but Steve finally remembered how to breathe again. Bucky took a deep breath in and smiled at him. “Atta boy. That’s my Steve.”

            Steve sat up and launched for the trash can and spilled the cashews into the bin.

            “That’s okay.” Bucky promised and helped Steve settle against the wall. “That’s okay…” he promised.

            “I feel horrible.” Steve muttered.

            “I imagine so.” Bucky replied.

            “When you feel less horrible, let’s get you into the chair and take you to the nurse’s office. I have emergency chocolate stored somewhere. It helps when I have a panic attack.” Simmons smiled and checked his pulse.

            Steve felt his heart quicken a touch. “I’d forgotten what a panic attack felt like.”

            Bucky smiled. “That’s okay, Stevie.”

            Simmons and Bucky helped Steve into the wheelchair. Simmons got a push from Bucky, and she and Steve headed back to the nurses office. Bucky muttered about getting his class back. Also telling Natasha to watch Steve's class as he squeezed Steve's shoulder.

            Simmons loaded Steve into one of the dark rooms. “I’ll be right back. Professor Lupin is right. Chocolate will make you feel better.” She said over her shoulder.

            Steve settled into the plastic bed, and he felt exhausted, and wanted Bucky right next to him. Knowing that was impossible, he settled for the thick bar of chocolate Simmons came in with. “Fitz is getting you water while I check your vitals.”

            “Thank you.”

            “Whatever Peirce has on you… you shouldn’t worry about it.” Simmons said and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Steve’s arm. “Because I am sure it pales in comparison to what we have on him.”

            Steve swallowed and shook his head.

            Fitz walked in with a bottle of water. “Hello.” He smiled and handed Steve the water. “Simmons says you’re not feelin’ well?”

            Steve took a long swig and nodded.

            “Shame.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.

            “Vitals are normal… if anything they’re starting to stabilize. Do you feel tired?”

            “Very.”

            “Hm. Are you a fan of coffee? Or do you want to go home?”

            “I want to go home, but I can power through the last two periods of the day.”

            “I’ll go get the man a cup of coffee. How do you take it, sir?”

            “Black.”

            “Same! Black like my men.” Simmons cooed.

            “Oi! Right here.”

            “I know.”

            Fitz walked out looking hurt. “How long have you two been together?” Steve asked.

            “Relationship wise? About two years. We were best friends. Almost never apart. I had a feeling he liked me, but I didn’t press. You see, when we first knew each other back in school, I assumed he hated me. I wasn’t smart enough, or maybe I was too smart for him. We became best friends after we took a running class together.” Simmons smiled and coxed Steve to lie down. "It was Skye, our friend, who helped us get together, really."

            “What did she do?”

            “Gave me a firm talking to. My mother was never that harsh with me.” Simmons laughed and sat down in a doctor’s chair with no back and checking Steve’s pupils. “When I wouldn’t hear of it, her boyfriend at the time locked us in a room together. To quote him he told us it was for us ‘sort out your shit.’ Skye then beat him to a pulp, and we came out of the room flushed and with wrinkled clothes.”

            Steve barked out a laugh. “You’re blunt aren’t you?”

            “If I were blunt, I’d tell you that he pre-mat…”

            “Oi! Jem, no.” Fitz interrupted.

            “It’s a common problem, Leo. It happens to the best…”

            “Shhshss.” Fitz hissed at her and handed Steve a warm mug. “It’s Coulson’s I don’t think he’d mind.”

            “Thank you.”

            “Sorry if it tastes like piss. Darcy has no idea how to make coffee.”

            Steve took a weary sip.

            “So, stay here, rest a while. I’ll wake you up for sixth period.” Simmons smiled and stood taking Fitz hand and shutting out the lights.

            True to her word, she woke him up nearly half an hour later, shaking his shoulder softly and whispering for him to wake up.

            Bucky was waiting in his room when Steve got there. “Hey, sorry.” Steve winced.

            Bucky shook his head. “Don’t be, it’s okay. We’ll talk later about this, okay?”

 

* * *

 

At home, Bucky confessed to Steve what they had found in Pierce’s computer. Pictures and videos of child porn. Some of it was in his office. Steve could hardly believe it. Between this and the money he had stolen from Stark and FitzSimmons, Steve was sure that Pierce was on his way out.

            “But what if he’s able to send out the photos of me?” Steve asked Bucky. Tonight they were at Bucky’s house, the lights dimming, and cuddling on the couch.

            Bucky shook his head. “That won’t happen.” He promised. “He won’t even have time to do that. During the meeting is when Tony has told the FBI to come in.”

            “The meeting tomorrow morning?” Steve asked.

            Bucky nodded. “Yeah, I’m nervous about it, to tell you the truth.”

            “You’re nervous? For what?”

            “What if something tips him off? Then he’d send out those photos of you, or…”

            Steve nodded and reached for Bucky’s hand and shook his head. “I just… I thought I left all that in the past.”

            Bucky moved his thumb over Steve’s knuckles. “It’s okay.”

            “It’s really not. Gah, I thought I loved him.” Steve shook his head.

            “Not Pierce, you’re talking about Rumlow, right?” Bucky double checked.

            Steve nodded. “Yeah, like I said it was right after Peggy died, and I thought I was doing better…”

            “The road to recovery is a long one.” Bucky whispered.

            Steve nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I get that.”

            “Also speaking as a history teacher, hindsight is twenty-twenty. Especially when you have the full story.”

            Steve smiled and kissed Bucky. “Thank you.”

            “It’ll be okay.” Bucky promised and nodded hugging Steve tighter. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we still got each other.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I've been having so many issues with this one chapter. Ask my bestie on Tumblr (http://blackvvidow.co.vu/) how many times I texted her screaming "I'VE SOMEHOW GOTTEN OFF TRACK... AGAIN?" Because there was so much to this chapter I wanted to write, but I couldn't fit it in without getting off track. There is a backstory to Peggy and Steve, then there's a backstory to FitzSimmons. I finally decided to just have one separate story because it would be so off track on this story (like it isn't already *scoff*). I'm posting that one in a separate story, but in the same universe. The link for that story is HERE. BTW, for whatever reason I can't attach my own url on Tumblr (it's probably the nut behind the wheel, me). So go ahead search and follow me on Tumblr. Same name TheCatholicFanGirl. Thank you guys for keeping up with me thus far and being so calm and patient. I promise, the next few chapters are going to be wrapping it up. Unless I get off track, again, then you'll be seeing more rants at the end of each chapter. *Hits head repeatedly*


	13. Post-it Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Write about a crime in which you (or the character) were the victim.
> 
> AN: Extra notes at the bottom, please read.
> 
> Warning: Triggers for underage sex.

Steve felt himself shaking as he walked into the library to start the meeting. Bucky gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and let the hand linger for half a second longer than he was supposed to. Bucky directed him to the table where Sam and Natasha were sitting and talking quietly while waiting for the meeting to start.

            Bucky sat down next to Natasha. “They’re waiting outside, according to Mr. Nelson.” She said in a conversational tone with a cheery smile on her face.

            Bucky smiled back. “Good for them.” He said just as conversational.

            Steve frowned at the two of them then glanced at Sam. Sam chuckled and shrugged. “They’re waiting.”

            “Waiting for what?” Steve asked and turned to Bucky. “I thought…”

            Bucky shushed him and nodded to the front. “It’s starting.”

            Pierce stepped up to the front and smiled. “Alright this is our last meeting while school is in session, and we have the awards and we wish well to the people who are retiring this year.”

            From the back of the room a man coughed and started to strut to the front. “I don’t believe that will be necessary.” He wore a three piece suit and his blond hair was combed into a ponytail. “Mr. Pierce, my name is Agent Warlock.”

            “Sorry… why are you here?” Pierce frowned.

            “It’d be best if we talk about this in private.” Warlock forced a grin at him. “I’m also looking for a Star-Lord? He’s an old college buddy of mine, but we can save the pleasantries for later.”

            A woman banged open the door making several people jump. “Let’s get a move on, Warlock.” She wore a jacket over a soft green blouse. Her dark hair and eyes looked cold to the touch, however there was a warmth to her as she passed by. It reminded Steve of his ma when he was a kid.

            Warlock smiled at her. “Mandy, I’m working on it.”

            “The ink just dried.” She stated and held up a stack of folded papers.

            “Good. Andrew Pierce, you have the right to remain silent…”

            “You’re arresting me? On what grounds?” Pierce roared.

            Warlock moaned and glanced over to Mandy. “Give me the list, would you?”

            “Child pornography, theft of school funds, piracy of movies, incompetency to run a school… but that last one was on a post-it note from Mr. Murdock and Nelson.”

            Murdock and Nelson fist bumped while Karen looked so happy she was crying.

            “So we can do this the easy way, or we can get Agent Rocket in here, and he’s just modified his taser and he’s _dying_ to test it out.” Warlock grinned.

            “If it were my choice, I’d get the taser.” A smallish man standing next to a tall burly man they both were in the back and must’ve come in the same time Agent Mandy did, just no one noticed.

            “You can’t arrest me, who’d run the school?”

            “I believe…” Fury said standing up. “The council has stated that if you were unable to run the school under any circumstances… your job, which was my job, would be given to me.” Fury shrugged.

            A woman sitting in between Coulson and Fury stood up. “I concur this was a decision the council had made.”

            “Thank you Ms. May.” Fury nodded once. 

            She smiled and sat down.

            “So… Miranda rights?” Warlock asked holding up the handcuffs with one finger.

            It was safe to say that everyone in the library applauded with joy.

 

* * *

 

After Warlock and Mandy had left with Pierce in custody, the teachers were told by the small man, in so many unnecessary words, that they’d be collecting evidence and taking statements from the teachers for the rest of the day. It might even bleed over to the next few days. “If you just stay out of our way, and don’t hinder the processing and handling of this creep, then we’ll be okay. Capishe?”

            All the teachers muttered a ‘yes’ and the burly man who hadn’t said a word and Agent Rocket left the same way Warlock and Mandy had left.

            Fury stood. “I know we only have two weeks left of school. Let’s do our best to keep our heads above water. I’ll be doing my best to implement the tardy sweeps, and seeing how the vice principal is also under scrutiny… I’ve been given the permission to hire a new VP. Mr. Coulson, would you please stand?”

            A blushing Coulson stood at attention and forced a grin at Fury.

            “My new VP.”

            Everyone in the library broke out into applause again.

 

* * *

 

Sixth period, Steve’s art class, Mary, the girl that had teased Steve for drawing Bucky so many months ago, was quiet. Unusual for her, and especially today because the rumors for what happened to Pierce were through the roof. Mary loved to talk, and Steve had her for English and Art, so knew her pretty well. The fact that she wasn’t coming up with the crazy rumors was unusual to Steve. There was rumors that Fury had killed him. One that made Steve laugh extra hard was that the scrawny engineer, Fitz had electrocuted him and Stark. Fitz, who came in later to fix Steve’s projector, had a good laugh at that one too. But no rumors came from Mary’s mouth.

            Steve pulled up a chair. “Hey, Mary.”

            She smiled at him. “Hey.”

            “What’s goin’ on?”

            She shrugged.

            “What are you drawin’?” he asked resting his chin on his hands.

            She shifted the paper to show him a heart that was blackened and she had made the effect it was crumbling.

            “Whoa, now you can’t be getting better than me, that’s just not fair.” Steve teased hoping to elicit a smile from her.

            She shrugged again. “Mr. Rogers, what’s it like to be in love?”

            He frowned at her question. “What do you mean?”

            “You and Mr. Barnes, you’re in love… right?”

            Steve sighed and almost told her a lie but then remembered he didn’t have to worry any more. “I’d like to think so. Are you in love with someone?”

            Mary shrugged again. “I just want to make sure.”

            “Well… hmm… it feels different for everyone, I guess. I was in love with this one girl, she was so pretty. But I don’t think she loved me back at the right time. You understand?”

            Mary nodded. “What happened to her?”

            Steve sighed and tossed his head from shoulder to shoulder. “She died. It was painful. We knew each other since we were your age. Then I thought I loved this other guy, but things went wrong.”

            “Then you and Mr. Barnes?”

            Steve smiled. “Then there’s me and Mr. Barnes.”

            “What does it feel like?”

            Steve felt tears well up in his eyes. “Like I’m home after a long day. Like I’m ready for an adventure. Like…”

            “You’d die without him?” she asked trying to feign innocence.

            “Well… I know now that I don’t _want_ to live without him. But I can. It’ll hurt so bad that he’s not with me, but I don’t think I’d die without him. Not yet, anyways.”

            She nodded and turned back to her heart.

            “Who are you in love with, honey?” Steve asked

            “I don’t think I’m in love with him.” She whispered.

            Steve was about to press further when he heard a tentative knock at his door. He glanced up to see Dr. Banner. “Hey, what’s up?” Steve asked and noted Dr. Banner’s less than cheery face.

            “Is Mary Kane here?” he whispered to Steve.

            “Yeah, she’s the girl I was just talking to.” Steve nodded.

            Dr. Banner nodded and ran a hand over his mouth. His hands were shaking. “May I speak with her?”

            Bewildered, Steve nodded and stepped aside.

            Dr. Banner squatted down next to Mary. “Hey, is it okay if you come with me for a little bit?”

            Mary buried her head and sniffed.

            “You’re not in trouble, Mary. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Banner whispered to her soothingly.

            “Don’t call my mom.” Mary muttered.

            Banner looked very uncomfortable and sighed. “It’ll be a lot better if we go to my office, Mary.”

            “My mom… she’d… she’d be so pissed at me.”

            “It is okay, no one will be mad at you.” Banner soothed.

            Mary started to sniffle loudly. “I’m sorry. He… said… he said…” she retched.

            “Hey, let’s get out of here.” Banner insisted.

            Mary nodded once and stood. Steve helped her collect her things and put them in her backpack. He followed Banner out. Banner put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

            “What’s going on?” Steve whispered as Mary walked with her head down towards the doors that would eventually lead to Dr. Banner’s office.

            Banner sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just be… just be glad Peirce is gone.”

            Steve felt his heart stop. “Oh my God. She was just asking me about love and… crap.”

            “You should also know that they found photos of you on his computer, too.” Banner swallowed and tried to shove his hands deeper into his pockets. “They’re going to want to talk to you.” He squinted at him.

            Steve nodded and felt shame bubble up to his cheeks. “Of course.”

            Banner freed his right hand and patted Steve’s shoulder. “Just be glad he’s gone.”

 

* * *

 

Bucky stuck his head in at the end of the day. “Yo, Imma gonna go say bye to Nat, and I’ll meet you in the parking lot? I heard you had some excitement.”

            Steve nodded and put away his drawings into his portfolio. “Yeah.”

            “You okay?”

            “Can we order pizza?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Then, yes, I’ll be okay.” Steve smiled at Bucky.

            Bucky blew him a kiss and walked out.

            Shaking he sat down and put his head into his hands, trying to make sense of all of it. Agent Warlock had dropped by and asked Steve to come in for an interview during his conference period the next day. He agreed, and asked about Mary. Warlock couldn’t give him any information, just as Steve had figured.

            A tentative knock came from his door. Steve looked up expecting Bucky to be standing there, but instead it was Brock. He stood suddenly and backed away. “What are you doing here?” Steve demanded trying to come up with a way out.

            Brock held out his open palms. “Can we talk?”

            Steve gritted his teeth. “I have nothing to say to you.”

            “I have something I need to say to you.” Brock sighed and looked down. He pointed to a desk and asked. “Can I sit?”

            Steve felt the urge to correct his grammar but decided against it. “Sure.”

            Brock sat down on the desk and leaned forward. “I’ve… I ah… Last time I was here… I knew…” he looked down and took a big breath in. “Last time I was here, I didn’t realized I had fucked up with you until I got into my car.”

            “Took you _that_ long?” Steve scoffed.

            Brock blushed. “I know, it’s… that’s bad. I felt… I wanted to change, but… I didn’t know how to or even if I’d want to. I went down a long road of idiocy. I’m sorry to say it cost me my job, but it also cost me the one good thing I had going for me. Which was you… I know… you’re with that history teacher guy, and I don’t ever expect you to come running my way. But, I ah… I’m going through the twelve steps, and for addiction to sex and porn, and I just got to the make amends.”

            Steve looked at him. “So I’m on your checklist?”

            He winced. “Okay, I’m still tryin’ to learn how to phrase things too, but that’s gonna be another battle for another day. I’m trying to tell you, that I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry that I made you do uncomfortable things. I’m even sorrier that it took me this long to tell you this. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I haven’t forgiven myself, yet. Just… know that I’m sorry, and I’m trying to be a better person.”

            Steve nodded and smiled.

            “And, ah… those photos. I was at a bar and… Pierce came up to me and nicked my phone. He gave it back, and said something like ‘thanks for sharing.’ I didn’t even… I didn’t realize that he had gotten the photos off of my phone. I don’t… I didn’t remember _having_ those photos. I should’ve asked for your permission, I should’ve deleted them. I’m sorry.”

            Steve swallowed a lump in his throat.

            “I’ve also talked to the agents about the photos, so they know the story behind the photos.” Brock stood up and wiped his palms on his jeans. “I guess… I’ll go now.”

            “How many months?” Steve asked as he turned to leave.

            Brock turned to him and looked embarrassed. “It’s been a few days since I’ve slipped. My sponsor is asking me to just push through it. So it’s been a week.”

            Steve looked down and wanted to press further, but didn’t.

            “Okay… goodbye.”

            “Bye.”

            Bucky appeared in the doorway just as Brock left. He pointed to Brock. “The hell? He give you trouble?”

            “No, nah…” Steve shook his head and stood. “Let’s go.”

 

THREE MONTHS LATER:

“How the hell is your boyfriend late?” Nat hissed.

            “I’d ask, but he never gives me a straight answer.” Steve shrugged and pulled out his phone to call Bucky.

            _“Hello?”_

            “You’re late.”

            _“Fashionably on time.”_

“An hour and a half is not nearly close to fashionably on time.”

            Bucky laughed.

            “C’mon, it’s the first day of school, my first real day of school, since last time I started half way through the year. I don’t want to be late.”

_“I’m like two blocks away.”_

            “Really?”

_“Yeah, two blocks away, totally.”_

            “Fury is going to have our heads.”

            _“Fine, I’m like four blocks away.”_

            “He’s going to kill us.”

            _“Fury is an awesome principal, Stevie, he would understand if we’re a little late.”_

            “Tell him if he thinks Fury would understand if we’re late, that he’s sadly mistaken.” Natasha told Steve.

            Steve laughed. “Your best friend told me that you’re mistaken.”

            _“Of course she did.”_ He laughed. _“What landmarks am I looking for?”_

            “A pissed off redhead and a handsome blond.”

_“Oo, tell me more about this handsome blond. Is he single?”_

            “Not gonna happen.”

_“What?”_ Bucky drove up and rolled down the window. “We’re gonna have to do something about that, I mean look at you.” He called out the window simultaneously hanging up on Steve.

            Steve smiled and leapt in kissing Bucky on the mouth.

            “We’re already late you idiots.” Natasha groaned.

            “Fine, grumpy gills.” Bucky sighed and waited for Steve and Natasha to buckle in. “We’re not _that_ late.” He tapped the clock and drove off.

 

* * *

 

The three of them arrived at the school with about ten minutes to spare. Steve felt horrible about it, but found it very hard to care when the bell rang for Advisory. Advisory was a class that was for the first few days of school and last few days of school. It was to get the kids adjusted to the school schedule, to pick up their schedules, and get the kids ready for the day. Originally, this class was supposed to be an hour long, but Fury and Coulson had made it only twenty minutes. Head Office probably didn’t know about this decision, but Steve didn’t find enough heart to care.

            “Alright kids, settle down, I have your schedules here.” Steve sighed and waved the twenty some odd schedules in the air.

            A tentative knock sounded from Steve’s door.

            He blinked over and gasped. “Mary!”

            She beamed and hugged him.

            “You’re gonna be late!” Steve hugged her back.

            “I know, but it’s the first day, so it doesn’t count.”

            Steve rolled his eyes and walked to his desk. “I’m glad you’re okay, but let me write you a pass.”

            “Okay.” She beamed and tugged on her strap. “Mr. Rogers, thank you. For last year.”

            Steve blinked up at her. “What do you mean?”

            “Your art class helped me through a lot, and I loved coming into your English and Art classes. So thank you for being a teacher.”

            Steve beamed. “Thank you for being my student.” He handed her the pass and directed her out the door. And for the first time since he had started working there, the tears in his eyes were happy tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO YES. Done. Nope. No more chapters....
> 
> Okay, I lied. Ahhh, after talking about it with one of my friends I'm very interested in rewriting the whole thing. Probably going to make it gritter, go into more depth with the characters, and make it flow better. Be on the look out for that I won't delete this one, but I'll put up a note or something when I get around to finishing writing the new one. 
> 
> I'm also planning on writing more in this verse. In fact I already have written a piece.
> 
>  
> 
> [HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3993421)
> 
>  
> 
> I loved writing it, I hope you enjoy it. Follow me on Tumblr, same name and stuff, and I'm on the radio talking live about fandom stuff. Let me know if you're interested on Tumblr or in the comments below, and I'll hook you up.

**Author's Note:**

> COME AND JOIN THE FUN ON TUMBLR. Same name and stuff... whateves.  
> I also might be persuaded to write more on this. Tell me in the comments!


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